My Life in Pink & Green [Hardcover]

Lisa Greenwald (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family’s struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won’t help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again—a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy’s family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader?
 
This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it’s great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.

F&P level: T

F&P genre: RF

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Displaying a lively familiarity with the topics of makeup, makeovers and adolescent angst, Greenwald makes a bright debut with this timely story. Prospects look grim for the Old Mill Pharmacy run by 12-year-old Lucy's mother and grandmother. In order to drum up more sales, Lucy decides to offer customers beauty tips and free makeup applications. Although her efforts prove somewhat fruitful, her best idea comes after she joins her school's earth club: what if they add an eco-spa to the pharmacy? Like the recent Teashop Girls, also about an enterprising preteen trying to save a family business, this novel takes an upbeat approach to serious issues—money struggles and impending foreclosure—underscoring the optimistic message that one individual can make a difference. Ages 10–14. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

After 12-year-old Lucy spots a foreclosure warning in the mail, she realizes that the small-town Connecticut pharmacy owned and run by her mother and grandmother is in jeopardy. While Mom and Grandma argue about how to handle the crisis, Lucy, an aspiring makeup artist, joins her school’s Earth Club, researches green businesses, and hatches a plan to expand the pharmacy into an eco-spa. Many young readers will recognize likable Lucy’s frustrations (“I can’t wait for the day when adults take kids seriously”), as well as her growing excitement, all expressed in an utterly believable voice: “The Earth would be healthier just because of us . . . Like, my heart beats really fast when I think about it.” Tales of young entrepreneurs featuring wish-fulfilling plots of young people gaining power have perennial appeal. This story of a family coping with dramatic financial strain may have particular resonance in the current climate, and Greenwald deftly blends eco-facts and makeup tips, friendship and family dynamics, and spot-on middle-school politics into a warm, uplifting debut. Grades 4-7. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Amulet Books (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810983524
• ISBN-13: 978-0810983526
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Middle Grade Book, October 23, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Life in Pink & Green (Hardcover)

I absolutely love girly-girl middle grade fiction! I guess it's a good thing that I have a daughter in that age range because it gives me a good excuse to read it. My latest favorite MG book is MY LIFE IN PINK AND GREEN by Lisa Greenwald. I admit that I was probably a little biased going into this book because I just love the cover. I thought it was adorable and extremely eye-catching; and what young girl could resist it? It wasn't until I finished this delightful book that I realized just how terrific the cover was -- it captured the essence of the story perfectly.

This book is going to appeal to so many young girls. My daughter hasn't had a chance to read it and chime in with her thoughts yet, but I can pretty much guarantee that she's going to love it! Lucy, the main character and narrator, is absolutely adorable. While she's an extremely sweet young girl and has some terrific insight into life, she also has a great sense of humor. She's a wonderful choice to tell this story, and girls are definitely going to relate to her. Lucy experiences many of the same insecurities and concerns that all tweens face on a daily basis. Yet how she chooses to deal with adversity is what really makes Lucy and this book so special. Lucy is a great example of how a young girl is supposed to act in so many ways. She doesn't lower herself to that middle grade cattiness that many girls revel in (I speak from experience here!) and she is constantly trying to do the "right" thing. I sincerely hope that many readers of this book will see Lucy as a role model and try to shape their actions around Lucy's behavior.

As a mother, I am so excited that there are good, clean books out there for my 10 year old daughter to read. I'm totally of the mindset, "Why rush to read all the YA books when there are so many wonderful MG books?" I loved that MY LIFE IN PINK AND GREEN had a great story and characters who were so sweet. However, I also thought it was wonderful that the author chose not only to tackle the "normal" middle grade girl issues, but she also covered some broader, more universal issues such as the decline of small businesses and the need to take care of our environment. Lucy wanted to help her grandmother and mother save the pharmacy, and she worked very hard to come up with ideas to generate more business. She also became active in an after-school group that focused on "green" ideas. I loved that Lucy had the resourcefulness to merge her passions together into a wonderful way to save the pharmacy! If only we all had Lucy's desire to make the world a better place!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 24, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life in Pink & Green (Hardcover)

Lisa Greenwald has a nice combination of things going on in her debut novel MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN. Put together "green" living to save the earth, the trials and tribulations of being a 7th-grade girl, and the financial stress of running a family business, and you have a real page-turner.

Lucy will be the third generation owner of a family pharmacy - that is if her mother and grandmother can keep the store going against the competition of large chains and consumers only looking for one-stop shopping options. She hears their constant arguments about which direction is best for the business her grandfather started years ago.

Lucy's mother's objections are that the store is stuck in the 80's, while her mother, Lucy's grandmother, says her own daughter is the downfall of the business because of her poor money management skills. All Lucy knows is that she doesn't want to lose the family business, and she thinks she just might have the answer.

Being a 7th-grader is also a challenge for Lucy. Her older sister is away at college, but thanks to Claudia, at least Lucy knows how to look her best, and with the help of good grooming she maintains a high level of self-confidence in the face of middle school stress. She has always been interested in make-up, and growing up in the pharmacy with its make-up aisle so easily accessible, she has developed a certain knack for making people look their best.

When people begin realizing her talent, she finds herself running a makeover business that is bringing in needed cash for the store.

In an effort to boost her friend Sunny's confidence with boys, Lucy joins the school's Earth Club. Membership in the club revives Lucy's interest in recycling and promoting some of the more nature-friendly make-up products she uses with her customers. When an afternoon of research for the club causes Lucy to stumble across a city grant offering some major money help for local businesses who "go green," she believes she has truly found the way to save the family business.

MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN grabbed my attention right from the start. Lucy is portrayed as a fun, upbeat 7th-grader not afraid to test out her innovative ideas. The addition of the financial stress in the family business brings this story into the here and now of our economic woes and will help hold the interest of readers dealing with their own tough times. By adding humor and a bit of young romance, Lisa Greenwald has really hit the mark with this novel.

I look forward to reading what I hope will be a long line of her YA work.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pink & Green Review, June 30, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Life in Pink & Green (Paperback)

My Life in Pink & Green is an inspiring story about a girl with big dreams anda passion for make-up. Twelve-year-old Lucy Desburg has a plan. A plan to save her family's pharmacy. The problem is nobody thinks she can do it. So Lucy takes matters into her own hands. And with a little help, can she be able to turn things around? All ages will love this fresh, new, fantastic book, and you might learn a few beauty tips along the way.

Review Written By B. Ankerson