Green

This is a book that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The characters and story line are engaging and fun and the plot packs a surprising number of twists and intricacies for such a short book. The main character is Lily, a smart and resourceful thirteen-year-old that you can't help but root for. I found myself laughing out loud and unable to put it down, turning page after page to find out what happened next. I recommend this book to anyone who would like a witty and lighthearted adventure.

Laura Peyton Roberts' GREEN tells of Lily's thirteen birthday, who begins when a present explodes on her porch revealing a trio of leprechauns who appear in her bedroom and whisk her away to their world. She's in line to be keeper for the Clan of Green - IF she can pass their tests. Middle School readers will be a captive audience for this.

Lilybet Green can't imagine anyone capturing a leprechaun for anything other than their Lucky Charms, but Balthazar the Leprechaun is indignant that humans want to capture his people for their gold. It is with witty dialogue and thoughtful details that Laura Peyton Roberts brings us "Green," published this year. Our story starts with Lily who has learned not to use her full name due to the lesson she's learned from earlier experience: `guaranteed hard time for the new girl' in town. She is so looking forward to spending her 13th birthday celebration with Kendall, her best (and only) friend, and then a box arrives on the porch. Amid gift cards and a burned CD, this package kicks off the party in ways Lily never expected. Aside from the package exploding, a little man in a green coat with facial hair the `merest hint of green, as if he'd been swimming in chlorine all summer' showing up, and then being lassoed with binding gold to make her silent and invisible, Lilybet Green is about to have an adventure in the Land o' Green. Lily is perfectly depicted as being put out at having been kidnapped and wanting to escape. The leprechauns explain that she is to be their keeper. Their last keeper was her Grandmother (Gigi), who died over a year ago, and now that Lilybet is 13, it's her turn. This job always goes to leplings (humans with leprechaun blood). It is only after she sees a sweater her grandmother wore hundreds of times back home and she feels the presence of Gigi here more than she ever did that we see Lily lose her cyniccal edge. Just in time, too, because to get to be the keeper, Lily must pass three increasingly difficult - and dangerous - tests. The story itself isn't about Lily's magic powers, but the power that she finds within herself to complete these tests. Peyton's story is fun and well-written. There's just enough mayhem and adventure to keep this narrative moving and any booklover will enjoy reading about leprechauns in this contemporary tale. Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day celebrations, find a bit o'green, and pick up Peyton's tale today!

Lilybet Green is known as a bug-eyed freak. She is new in Providence, California and she has to deal with the death of her grandmother, Gigi. On her 13th birthday, she receives a mysterious package and when she opens it, dangerous fireworks go off and she is knocked out. When she wakes up, she finds Gigi's old key and three leprechauns in her bedroom who capture her and take her to their (the Greens) land where she is to become the keeper of their gold like Gigi had done before her. But before Lily can become a keeper, she has to pass three tests, or else she will go back to her old life with no memory of the leprechauns or Gigi. If she does pass the three tests, she will receive a load of allowance and very good luck. With the help from her fellow leprechauns and the clues Gigi left for her, she will attempt the biggest challenge of her life! This has been my favorite book I have read in the flamingnet program so far. I loved this book, and the fact that it was in first person made it even better. It's definitely in my top twenty best books I have ever read. The plot is very good. I finished it in three days. Laura Roberts has one of the best imaginations. Amazing! I give it five stars. Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer Flamingnet Book Reviews Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers

Awkward, unpopular and uncoordinated, Lily Green is not really looking forward to her 13th birthday; her mother has to work and she suspects her friend Kendall would rather be with someone cooler and more interesting. The prospect of a second-rate birthday is destroyed though when Lily opens a present left for her on her front porch and it literally explodes in her face. Before she knows it, as the smoke is still clearing from the explosion, Lily is whisked away by three tiny men who claim to be leprechauns. She, they tell her, has very important business with the Clan O'Green. GREEN by Laura Peyton Roberts is a sweet and original exploration of growing up and being true to yourself. There is plenty of adventure and wisdom in these pages as Lily goes to the land of the leprechauns and tries to understand the birthright she has inherited and the position she is being asked to earn. Lily is not taken to the land of Green for fun. The leprechauns claim that she is to be their keeper --- that is, the keeper of their gold. It is a job that always goes to leplings (humans with leprechaun blood), and the last keeper, Lily's beloved grandmother Gigi, died a year ago. Lily is intrigued, but angry at being kidnapped and anxious that no one knows where she is. Things only get worse when she learns that in order to become a keeper, she must pass three increasingly dangerous tests. And, as the tests progress, she begins to suspect that not all the Greens want her to succeed. Using some clues Gigi left for her, lots of inner strength and innate cleverness, and the encouragement of her new Green friends, Lily makes it through the first two tests. But the third --- to steal gold from the Scarlet clan --- seems impossible and far too risky. Lily, having little choice in the matter, sets out for Scarlet territory and finds herself face to face with the handsome and kind Scarlet keeper, Wee Kylie. Will he help her complete her task, or is he setting her up for failure and punishment? Before Lily can become keeper for the Greens, she finds herself in serious peril and risks never getting home again. Lily Green is a very likable character, and Roberts really captures the mix of innocence and cynicism that is 13. In going through the tests the Greens set out for her, she gains confidence, learns about her family heritage and comes to find some compassion for her mother. The world of the leprechaun is fantastic and magical but doesn't distract from the story Roberts is telling. Lily remains herself throughout her journey: she doesn't change but draws on strengths she never knew she had. GREEN is a fun read, a well-written book with a great message that is never preachy. Roberts has just enough twists in the plot and surprises in the story to keep readers on their toes, and the land of the leprechauns is enchanting and lovely to imagine. Lily Green, of course, steals the show --- a brave, smart, sassy heroine who makes both humans and leprechauns proud to claim he