News from Lisa Greenwald

happy winter

2012-01-17T10:26:00.003-05:00

how's everyone doing? i'm desperately trying to stay warm and get through winter, as i wait patiently for summer - my favorite season.

in the meantime, i am trying to do as many school visits as i can! tell your librarian or teacher to email me - i would love to visit your school.

also, i will be doing a writing workshop at the manhasset library on friday february 3rd! sign up and come hang out with me.

xoxo lisa

BIG NEWS!

2011-09-22T14:28:00.003-04:00

hey guys,

guess what? for all of you who have asked me for a sequel to MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN, i have great news!

there will be a sequel!

it will be out in spring 2013!

get excited!

xoxo lisa

EVENTS! EVENTS! EVENTS!

2011-09-06T11:17:00.004-04:00

September 25th, 4pm
LAUNCH PARTY!
Dolphin Bookshop
Port Washington, NY

October 1st, 7pm
Reading/Signing
BookCourt
Brooklyn, NY

Check out the cover for REEL LIFE STARRING US

2011-05-09T19:31:00.003-04:00

See it here!

YAY!

Hope you're all enjoying the pretty weather. It's pretty in NYC, at least. xoxoxo

PS: I am very behind on replying to snail mail but I am working on it. If you've written to me and haven't gotten a reply, you should be receiving one sometime this summer. I promise!

What's your favorite Sweet Treat?

2011-02-26T14:00:00.003-05:00

So a while back I shared that my favorite sweet treats are EMILY'S EDIBLES. They're my aunt's recipes and the treats are amazing! And now anyone can buy them. The best part is - all the proceeds benefit epilepsy research. My aunt has epilepsy and my mom started this business to honor her and to raise money at the same time.

So what are your favorite sweet treats? Cookies? Cupcakes?

Drop me an email and let me know!

xoxox lisa

NEW BOOK! NEW TITLE!

2011-02-15T10:07:00.001-05:00

I finally have a title for my new book, coming out in Fall 2011. Drumroll please...

It's called: REEL LIFE STARRING US

I'm very excited!

Also, I had a fabulous event at Dolphin Bookshop in Port Washington, NY this past Sunday. Thanks to all the girls and their moms for coming out!

Tween Book Club at Torly Kid

2011-01-06T11:19:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to be a part of the tween book club at Torly Kid on Feburary 8th!

Come join me!

SWEET TREATS & SECRET CRUSHES REVIEWS

2010-11-22T20:12:00.002-05:00

School Library Journal
Gr 5-8–As a blizzard bears down on New York City just in time for Valentine’s Day, a storm of a different kind is brewing in the apartment building above Chen’s Kitchen. Seventh-graders Olivia, Kate, and Georgia are best friends who are struggling to find common ground as their relationship begins to change. Olivia has liked Phillip Becker-Jacobs for two years, and she records everything he does and wears in her Observation Notebook. Kate flits from crush to obsessive crush, and Georgia stays quiet to avoid letting her secrets slip, even to her best friends. An unexpected snow day offers the girls a chance to reconnect by baking “magic” fortune cookies designed to help everyone in their building feel loved. As they deliver the treats, they discover many truths: about boys, parents, and one another. Greenwald’s second foray into the drama that is seventh grade delivers more than is implied by its saccharine title. The lives of the well-formed characters come alive against the backdrop of a New York City building where neighbors are strangers. Fortune-cookie fortunes become the plot’s catalyst, as chapters alternate among Olivia, Kate, and Georgia, offering readers varied perspectives on the events. This is a title that mothers and daughters can confidently read together without major blushing.–Colleen S. Banick, Tomlinson MiddleSchool, Fairfield, CT
Booklist
Seventh-grade Brooklyn neighbors Olivia, Georgia, and Kate are BFFs, even though they are very different. Olivia is introspective and observant, Georgia is quiet and timid, and Kate is outgoing and bossy. Together, they hope that Valentine’s Day will finally bring some developments with their crushes, but their plans are frustrated when a for-once-unwelcome snow day keeps the girls at home. Then Georgia’s mom teaches them a famously secret fortune-cookie recipe, and the day unfolds unexpectedly after the girls decide to distribute cookies to neighbors. Primarily set over one day, the story features the characters’ engaging, alternating narratives and distinct personalities and provides intimate, lively explorations of well-drawn themes, from family and friend troubles to growing self-awareness and the challenges and joys of connecting with others and building a community. The trio’s romantic ups and downs tie the story together, but this is also an affectionate, insightful ode to friendship. An enjoyable, sure-to-be popular read. Grades 5-8. --Shelle Rosenfeld

Publishers Weekly
In a lighthearted story about the ups and downs of friendship, Greenwald (My Life in Pink & Green) again proves that she has an insightful eye (and pen) when it comes to the minds of tween girls. Three dissimilar but tight-knit seventh graders--nosy Olivia, high-strung Kate, and reserved Georgia--who live on the seventh floor of a Brooklyn apartment building, find themselves trapped and restless on a snowed-in Valentine's Day. They hatch a plan to deliver homemade fortune cookies to their neighbors, hoping to bring some camaraderie to the building. As the day progresses, though, they only succeed in annoying each other. Greenwald alternates among the three girls as narrators, skillfully showing how insignificant frustrations can lead to big meltdowns. The girls' voices are distinct; outgoing Kate, for example, often laments about Olivia's multiyear-obsession with a boy: "he needed to know she had gone off the deep end." All's well that end's well, and the girls not only get closer by the last page but revel in seeing their neighbors do the same. Ages 10–14. (Nov.)

Kirkus Reviews
Seventh-grade friends Olivia, Georgia and Kate can’t wait for Valentine’s Day. Olivia hopes that Phillip Becker-Jacobs, the constant subject of her Observation Notebook, will give her a handmade valentine; Kate is convinced her latest crush will ask her out; and Georgia is looking forward to a special dinner at Chen’s Kitchen, her family’s restaurant. When a blizzard disrupts their Valentine’s Day plans, the girls, stuck in their Brooklyn apartment building, try to salvage the day by making fortune cookies in Chen’s Kitchen and delivering them to their reclusive neighbors. Olivia, Georgia and Kate hope the treats will spread some cheer and bring everyone together, but as the day progresses, they find their friendship falling apart, and the building feels as lonely as ever. Olivia has always believed there’s a bit of magic in Chen’s Kitchen’s cookies, and that’s exactly what the girls need to stop Valentine’s Day from being a complete disaster. As told in their alternating voices, Olivia, Georgia and Kate’s escapades—filled with nosy parents, pesky siblings and plenty of boy drama—will resonate with young teens. The story is as sweet as the treats the girls dole out. (Fiction. 10-14)

Children's Literature

When a blizzard closes school on Valentine's Day, best friends Olivia, Kate, and Georgia are determined to make the best of their day. Together they make fortune cookies and distribute the cookies to their neighbors in the apartment building. As the girls meet new neighbors and discuss all their problems, they begin to look at their own relationships with one another. Observant Olivia has a long-time crush on a boy, called PBJ, who has never spoken to her. Outgoing Kate longs to be part of the in-crowd and desperately wants to spend time with Brendan. Shy Georgia has a secret crush on a family friend, Kevin. Olivia worries that she is losing her friends when Kate suddenly tears a page from Olivia's precious observation journal. Kate wants desperately to find Brendan which makes both Georgia and Olivia think Kate no longer wants to be their friend. Georgia is distraught when she learns that Olivia found a paper on which Georgia wrote about her crush on Kevin, the family friend. As the day continues and the girls spread Valentine cheer with their cookies, all three learn each others' secrets and fears. At the end of the day, each girl, in her own way, recognizes the fortune of true friendship. Told in alternating first-person point of view, the author creates a fast-paced, angst-filled, middle grade novel within which a reader may see a glimpse of herself. Reviewer: Jody Little

Mother Daughter Book Clubs!

2010-11-22T20:11:00.002-05:00

I would love to have a Skype visit with your mother daughter book club! Email me lisa@lisagreenwald.com to set something up.

Events!

2010-09-23T12:38:00.005-04:00

November 1st - 4pm
Reading & Signing
Upper East Side Barnes & Noble
New York, NY

November 13th - 12 - 4pm
Children's Book Fair
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn, NY

November 15th - 4pm
Reading & Signing
The Voracious Reader
Larchmont, NY

December 11th - Time TBD

Reading & Signing

Best Bargain Books

Long Island, New York

December 12th - 1-3pm

Books of Wonder

New York, NY

Check out my new book!

2010-03-17T13:23:00.005-04:00

It comes out in November! I'm so excited! In the meantime, you can see and order some of my favorite sweet treats if you visit the Emily's Edibles site! They're oh so delicious.

MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN REVIEWS

2009-04-05T22:35:00.003-04:00

Publishers Weekly

Displaying a lively familiarity with the topics of makeup, makeovers and adolescent angst, Greenwald makes a bright debut with this timely story. Prospects look grim for the Old Mill Pharmacy run by 12-year-old Lucy's mother and grandmother. In order to drum up more sales, Lucy decides to offer customers beauty tips and free makeup applications. Although her efforts prove somewhat fruitful, her best idea comes after she joins her school's earth club: what if they add an eco-spa to the pharmacy? Like the recent Teashop Girls, also about an enterprising preteen trying to save a family business, this novel takes an upbeat approach to serious issues-money struggles and impending foreclosure-underscoring the optimistic message that one individual can make a difference. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)

Kirkus Reviews, STARRED

When 12-year old Lucy learns the family pharmacy might close, she decides to attract customers using her preternatural knowledge of make-up application and products. When not giving the homecoming queen lip-gloss advice and booking appointments, Lucy helps her best friend Sunny deal with the many mini-mortifications of a first crush. The squeals, giggles and tiffs between these best buds teetering on adolescence allow readers a glimpse of true tweendom. Boys still seem mysterious, like aliens, and to Lucy they remain more annoying than infatuating. Preteens will enjoy Lucy's sweet first-person narrative, a disarming combination of innocence and earnestness. She feels sick of adults patronizing her and treating her like a little kid, particularly her flaky mom and no-nonsense grandma. A Going Green grant for local businesses seems a perfect way to make the pharmacy relevant again and prove that she should be taken seriously. Greenwald clearly takes preteens seriously, emphasizing their ardent concern for the environment and desire for change. This refreshing novel successfully delivers an authentic and endearing portrait of the not-quite-teen experience. (Fiction. 9-13)

BOOKLIST

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. — Gillian Engberg

School Library Journal

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

QUIZ: Are you a Lucy, a Sunny or a Claudia?

2009-02-20T09:36:00.002-05:00

I'd love to know how many Lucys, Sunnys and Claudias are out there. Drop me a line (lisa@lisagreenwald.com) and let me know which you are!

1. When you have a crush you usually . . .
a. obsess from afar, it's too scary to actually do anything about it. +2
b. take action and talk to him! +3
c. talk to his friends and see if he likes anyone. +1

2. You believe that problems your parents have are . . .
a. their problems, duh! go out and have fun! +1
b. parents have problems? +2
c. stressful for you too and you try to help. +3

3. You think that doing research is . . .
a. a little boring. +2
b. fun! +3
c. more fun when you're helping someone else do it than when you're doing it yourself. +1

4. You think . . .
a. one person can make a difference. +2
b. self-confidence goes a long way. +1
c. both of the above. +3

5. More than anything, you hate feeling . .
a. stressed. +1
b. helpless. +2
c. left out. +3

6. You feel best after . . .
a. helping others. +3
b. hanging out with your friends. +2
c. meeting new people. +1

7. You think that after school clubs are . .
a. a necessary part of life. +1
b. not as much fun as watching TV. +2
c. better if snacks are served. +3

8. Having a crush. . .
a. just comes over you, out of nowhere. +3
b. feels a little bit like a punishment. +2
c. is exciting! +1

9. The best birthday party is . . .
a. a co-ed party with as many people as possible. +1
b. a sleepover with your closest friends. +2
c. a party with face masks, makeovers and lip-gloss testing. +3

10. You get annoyed when . . .
a. people tell you what to do. +2
b. adults don't take you seriously. +3
c. your sibling nags you. +1

*If you scored between 24 and 30, you're a LUCY. You're a go-getter and you demand to be taken seriously. You want to make things better for your friends, your family and the world.

*If you scored between 17 and 23, you're a SUNNY. You're sweet, thoughtful and a dreamer. You love to be with your close friends, relax and talk about how you're feeling.

*If you scored between 10 and 16, you're a CLAUDIA. You're upbeat, smart and helpful. You love to be social and have fun.

I love you, Independent Booksellers!

2009-02-11T16:58:00.003-05:00

Guess what?

MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN is on the Top Ten Kids' Indie Next List for Spring 2009!

Please go out and support your independent bookstore. You'll be so glad you did!