Pink & Green Is the New Black

September 1, 2014
Change is looming for 13-year-old Lucy.In this third entry in the series, the industrious entrepreneur turns her focus toward her personal life. Midway through eighth grade, Lucy feels driven to make her final months of middle school perfect. However, Lucy quickly discovers that the pursuit of perfection is more difficult than her entrepreneurial endeavors. While Lucy savors the successes of her eco-oriented initiatives, she experiences challenges in her personal life. The recent lack of attention from her boyfriend, Yamir, is puzzling, as is the sudden friendliness of her former nemesis, Erica. While Lucy and best friend Sunny agree to collaborate with Erica on the upcoming masked dance for eighth graders, Lucy continues to be skeptical about Erica's intentions, wondering whether a person can really change. Also, as Yamir becomes increasingly distant, Lucy struggles to define her expectations for a boyfriend. The situation is further complicated when newcomer Travis expresses a keen interest in Lucy. Amid the ensuing confusion and heartfelt introspection, Lucy's dating and friendship dilemmas escalate as the date of the masquerade approaches. Greenwald captures the agitation and uncertainty that come with venturing into dating and relationships. Lucy's turmoil navigating friendships and boyfriends leads to a re-evaluation of her desire for perfection and an eventual acceptance of change-a satisfyingly realistic conclusion. Lucy's inimitably irrepressible manner makes her a fine guide through the shoals of early adolescence. (Fiction. 11-14)

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October 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Now in eighth grade, Lucy Desberg, who turned her family's pharmacy into an eco-friendly spa earlier in the series, has plenty on her mind: dating, dances, and boys. Infused with beauty and makeup references and peppered with "Lucy's [tips] for surviving eighth grade," Greenwald's latest has an intimate, "girl to girl" feel that will resonate with those on the verge of teen (and tween)hood.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 Eighth-grader Lucy is back and doing her best to balance her efforts to understand her maybe-boyfriend's mixed messages, her classmates' needs to be part of the teenage social whirl, and her family members' realistic dynamics. Along the way to convincing her middle-school cafeteria to go green and getting her best friend to communicate honestly with her, Lucy figures out how to promote the family's beauty spa as part of making the eighth-grade masquerade a success. Lucy's adventures continue to offer peer readers emotional wisdom tied to credible examples of the ties that bind, bend, and reconnect as kids move from early to middle adolescence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)