| Lucy Rose: Busy Like You Can't Believe (series #3) |
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What You Need to Know:
• Lucy Rose is confident, unique, witty and funny. She loves to be the center of attention and dresses the party.
• She enjoys vocabulary, especially palindromes and there is plenty of clever banter among Lucy Rose, her friends
and the adults in the story.
• A few parts feel as though they were written with an adult reader in mind, with subtle jokes that might go over some
children’s heads.
• Her parents’ divorce plays an ongoing role in the story as Lucy Rose tries to stay in touch with her dad in Michigan
(often via email) and worries that her mom is dating a new man.
• Lucy Rose has an eavesdropping habit that she knows is wrong but can’t seem to quit.
• The illustrations are a little off beat, almost cartoony and occasionally a little scary (especially the eyes) but don’t
distract from the story.
• There is a lot to follow here in terms of events, characters, subplots and feelings but it is interesting and funny and
succeeds in holding the reader’s attention.
• Don’t forget to check out the multiplication tables at the end. |
Sweet Series Background:
For those who like Clementine and Gooney Bird Greene, Lucy Rose is another red head with spunk and charm. She is entertaining, fun and thoughtful and filled with so much to say. The first person, diary-style writing will help readers get to know Lucy Rose, what she likes, where she lives and the people that are important to her. Lucy Rose is a charming character and this series is a perfect next step for advancing readers moving beyond Ivy and Bean and Clementine. |
Sweet Book Summary:
Living in Washington D.C. with her mom, Lucy Rose starts fourth grade with a positive attitude and a flashy outfit. She runs into some disappointment, however, when she doesn’t get the lead role in the school play. She’s also dealing with some real life problems including her struggle with multiplication, a mean girl at school, her divorced parents and concerns resulting from too much eavesdropping. Luckily her best friends, Melonhead (a boy) and Jonique, along with her grandparents and parents provide a strong support group along the way.
On page 20, readers can see how her grandfather, Pop, helps her to feel better when the mean girl, Ashley, calls Lucy Rose’s pants “childish” and later, Jonique stands up for her and won’t join in a game when Ashley tries to leave Lucy Rose out. Readers can find comfort knowing that these types of things happen to everyone and that there is a positive way to handle them. They will also see positive behavior to emulate, like kindness, rule following, taking responsibility for mistakes and forgiveness. Mild Concerns are noted in the review highlights section above to let you know that there are some topics, like divorce in this case, that you may want to discuss with young readers. |
Author: Katy Kelly Illustrator: Adam Rex Published: 2007, 192 pages
Themes: Community, Family Life, Feelings, Friendship, Grandparents, Humor, Imagination, Journal Style, School |
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Capture the Flag
