  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/15/2009 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. - Copyright 2009 Booklist. School Library Journal - 04/01/2009 Gr 4–6— Lucy Desberg, 12, spends most of her free time at her family's pharmacy. It was once a popular hangout for fountain treats in their small Connecticut town, but the emergence of a large chain store has put the pharmacy in danger of foreclosure. Lucy overhears her practical grandmother and somewhat disengaged, eco-activist mom arguing about what to do, and she is determined to come up with a solution. When the high school's Homecoming queen rushes in sporting a hair disaster on the day of the big dance, Lucy bravely suggests how to fix the problem. A star is born when the products she suggests work, word spreads of Lucy's talents, and more and more young women seek her advice. Meanwhile, she and her older sister apply for a grant to be awarded by the mayor to locally owned businesses that are "going green." Greenwald has created a smart, spunky heroine with ingenuity and budding femininity. A natural beauty or business tip introduces each chapter. These helpful hints are age appropriate and environmentally current. Readers will enjoy the realistic portrayal of middle school friendships, crushes, and coming-of-age beauty concerns.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH - Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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