My Life in Pink & Green

Gr 5–7—While opening mail at the Old Mill Pharmacy, 12-year-old Lucy Desberg discovers that her family's business is on the verge of foreclosure. The enterprising, spunky girl decides to help out by offering her make-up and makeover services to the store's clientele. As word of the seventh grader's cosmetic expertise spreads, her confidence grows, and she begins to envision other ways to save the pharmacy, including reinventing an unused space in the store as a relaxation room. Motivated by these successes, Lucy and her older sister secretly apply for the town's "Going Green Grant," hoping to expand the pharmacy into Connecticut's first eco-spa. Listeners will root for Lucy—she's selfless, not selfish; smart, not smart-mouthed; and her excitement for her future is infectious. Cassandra Morris narrates Lisa Greenwald's debut novel (Amulet, 2009), authentically conveying Lucy's earnest enthusiasm, her girlish squeals of delight, and her frustration at not being taken seriously by her mother and grandmother. Perhaps the only downside to Morris's voice work is that she does too good of a job of channeling Sunny, Lucy's best friend, whose whiny voice is grating. Fortunately, her limited role doesn't detract from Lucy's encouraging story of one girl's quest to make a difference in the world.—Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, OH