My Life in Pink & Green

by Lisa Greenwald

Book Overview

Lisa Greenwald's My Life in Pink & Green is the first book in a series that "successfully delivers an authentic and endearing portrait of the not-quite-teen experience" (Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review).

Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem-solver. At her family's struggling pharmacy, she has a line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won't...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810989840
• ISBN13: 9780810989849
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

A great book!

My 11 year old daughter had her head in this book for days! It combined all her favorite things! Although, my daughter loves to read, she reads less than she used to. For one, there is a lot of competition for her time, plus she has had trouble finding books that aren't hi-drama or have depressing story-lines. Let's have more books like this please!!

Charming Middle Grade Book

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!

My Life In Pink $ Green

This was an absolutely charming book. It addressed several issues important to young teenage girls. The book involved the importance of friends and family, intellectual maturation, responsibility, creativity, and safeguarding the environment. I am an adult who read the book to screen it as a possible choice for a school book club meeting for adolescent girls. I would highly recommend it. Caryn

Lovable debut novel

Revised from my blog review post at http://mrsvsreviews.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-life-in-pink-and-green.html I love the combination theme of entrepreneurship and going green. What starts out as being dragged to the Earth Club to join her friend whose mom forced her to get involved in an after school program, ends up giving Lucy an exciting idea to try to save the pharmacy that has been in the family for generations. The book is filled with great characters: from the realist grandma to the activist mom to Lucy the dreamer with a vision and her friends. To round out the book Lucy and her best friend Sunny are navigating their first crushes together. Monday won't come soon enough as I can't wait to book talk My Life in Pink and Green.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

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"