Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (Lucy Rose Books) [Hardcover]

Katy Kelly (Author, Illustrator), Adam Rex (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Lucy Rose Books

I’m Lucy Rose and here’s the thing about me: I am eight and according to my grandfather I have the kind of life that is called eventful, which means NOT boring. According to my mom and my grandmother I’m what they call a handful. And according to my dad I am one smart cookie.

I say I am one girl who is feeling not-so-sure about things on account of my parents got a separation. Plus my mom and I just moved to Washington, D.C. Plus I haven’t met any friends yet but I do know someone who is not one and that is Adam Melon, who I call Melonhead.

Here’s another thing about me: most of the time I am plain hilarious.

First-time author Katy Kelly introduces us to an original thinker who’s got a lot on her mind and she’s ready to share (minus the boring parts, of course). Lucy Rose is an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind girl with spark, spunk, and one great pair of cowgirl boots! (No kidding!)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–Lucy Rose is trying to adjust to all the changes in her life. Her parents have separated and she and her mother have moved to Washington, DC, to be closer to Lucy's maternal grandparents. The third grader misses her dad and her old friends, and she is struggling to fit in at her new school. She must also deal with Adam Melon, a boy in her class who teases her. Lucy wants a pet to replace the dog she left with her father so she is on a campaign to get her teacher to let her care for the class guinea pig during spring break. Inevitably, the animal gets lost, leading to disaster, and help comes from an unlikely source. Lucy's plight, which is told in diary format, is one shared by many children who are adjusting to life in broken families. The child meets her challenges with humor and honesty. Her grandparents and mother serve as key supporting players. This first-time author has captured the trials, tribulations, and joys of this eight-year-old. Lucy Rose is not as finely honed as Amber Brown or Judy Moody but she is funny, and she has a unique voice.–Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. In the spirit of Junie B. Jones, Amber Brown, and mother of them all, Ramona, comes Lucy Rose. Eight years old, Lucy has just moved to Washington, D.C., with her mother after her parents' separation. Kelly covers familiar ground. Lucy misses her father, she takes the classroom gerbil home for vacation and loses him, and Alan Melon, her nemesis (he has given her a valentine that says "You are a fart"), eventually becomes a friend. Her knowing yet funny voice will be familiar to any kid who has read books about Ramona or Junie or Amber. Yet there's something especially endearing about Lucy Rose, and her interactions with her parents, grandparents, teacher, and friends all seem believable and comfortable. Written as a month-by-month diary, this will give a push to readers ready to move beyond chapter books. Planned illustrations were not available in galley. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385732031
• ISBN-13: 978-0385732031
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's The Thing..., October 13, 2004

By 

Kim, a bookseller (Montgomery, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (Lucy Rose Books) (Hardcover)

Here's the thing about Lucy Rose Reilly: She moves to a new town and starts third grade at a new school. She makes a friend and also an enemy. She struggles to deal with her parents' separation. She is obsessed with palindromes. There are also a big lie and a guinea pig, though the two are not related. Watch as Lucy Rose keeps it all together by recording her thoughts (only the interesting parts, mind you) in her new red journal.

To those who love Junie B., Lucy Reilly has the same sort of voice and shenanigans (without being a rip-off), but since she is older, she also has some weightier issues (the aforementioned enemy, the lie, and her parents' separation.) Full of wit, Lucy's story is one both boys and girls will enjoy. I marked it down on literary merit just because of the run-on sentences; it is, after all, in the voice of a third-grader.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucy Rose, Here's the Thing About Me, October 17, 2008

By 

Kid's doc (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (Paperback)

Lucy Rose is a charming book that not only make parents and children laugh out-loud together, but also sends the important message that parents can get divorced, children can be moved and life can change in profound, hard ways - and still be wonderful. It is a book where children get to be smart and funny and independent; where parents are not the enemy and grandparents are an extra, if eccentric, blessing. It is a book for people with a sense of humor, who know how to find the joy in life. It is not for the grim or the maudlin. I not only recommend this book, I give it to as a gift - because it is one.
Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (Lucy Rose)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucy Rose is lots of fun, July 23, 2005

By 

C. Betz "elementary librarian" (Dallas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (Lucy Rose Books) (Hardcover)

If you liked Junie B. Jones, Amber Brown or Ramona, you will love Lucy Rose, a spunky eight year old girl who has moved to Washington D.C. from Ann Arbor, Michigan after the separation of her parents. She is an "original thinker" who wears red cowboy boots, hates being teased by Melonhead, and loses the classroom pet gerbil when she takes him home during a vacation from school. With sage advice from Madam and Pop (her grandparents) Lucy Rose tackles life's little problems in an indomitable fashion. Written in diary form, the 3rd grade voice of Lucy Rose comes through loud and clear.