Books with author Lisa Greenwald

Lucy Desberg is in eighth grade, and she’s determined to make this year perfect. Over the course of the year, though, her talents for makeup and problem-solving will be put to the test.On the outside, things couldn’t be better: her family’s spa is doing well, and she has a boyfriend, Yamir. But Yamir’s in high school now, and Lucy’s too embarrassed to admit that he hasn’t called her in weeks. To take her mind off him, she throws herself into planning the eighth-grade masquerade, using her makeup skills to rally her classmates. But as she soon learns, ignoring a problem does not make it go away. It’s destined to pop up at the worst possible time.Lucy’s resourcefulness will be put to the test as she grows up and starts making decisions about the type of person—and girlfriend and friend and daughter and sister—that she wants to be.

When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine’s Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from one another. Confident Kate doesn’t notice much but the latest gossip, and shy Georgia can’t say out loud what’s always on her mind. They’re joined by observant, careful Olivia, whose epic, single-minded crush on PBJ (real name: Phillip Becker-Jacobs) is starting to frustrate them. Using fortune cookies that mysteriously always seem to speak directly to the person who opens them, the three girls try to work together to bring some love to their building while reminding each other why they’re such good friends to begin with.

Three BFFs try to make new friends but keep the old in the fifth book in Lisa Greenwald’s hilarious series told entirely in text messages, emojis, and notes. Perfect for fans of Invisible Emmie and the Dork Diaries books. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom. Making new friends is a good thing, right? Not when you barely see your besties! Between swim team, the school play, and poetry club, BFFs Cece, Gabby, and Prianka are meeting different people and trying different things. But besties clash when Gabby’s new friends rank the other girls in their grade in categories like looks, smarts, and popularity.The question is: How can you be your best self if your BFFs don’t have your back?

When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine’s Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from one another. Confident Kate doesn’t notice much but the latest gossip, and shy Georgia can’t say out loud what’s always on her mind. They’re joined by observant, careful Olivia, whose epic, single-minded crush on PBJ (real name: Phillip Becker-Jacobs) is starting to frustrate the other two. Using fortune cookies that mysteriously always seem to speak directly to the person who opens them, the three girls try to work together to bring some love to their building, while reminding each other why they’re such good friends to begin with. With all the right ingredients to appeal to tween girls, this is an irresistible confection from an emerging talent."The trio’s romantic ups and downs tie the story together… an affectionate, insightful ode to friendship. An enjoyable, sure-to-be popular read." –Booklist

Eleven-year-old Remy loves Seagate, the island where her grandmother had a house and where her family spends every summer vacation. But this year’s different. Remy misses her dog, Danish, who recently passed away. The usual Seagate traditions don’t feel the same—and neither does her relationship with her two best friends, Micayla and Bennett. Micayla’s family is moving to Seagate year-round, and she’s spending more time with the year-round kids. Bennett’s doing “boy stuff” with new kid Calvin and his snobby sister Claire. Remy takes comfort in the company of Dog Beach—which is where she hatches her plan to bring her friends closer and recapture the Seagate magic. This start of a new series is filled with summer treats, activities, and the spirit of friendship and invention that are Greenwald’s trademarks.Praise for Welcome to Dog Beach "Remy’s quiet tale of change and growth marks a promising start to a new series." --Kirkus Reviews "Greenwald (My Summer of Pink & Green) gives Remy a candid and relatable voice in this first book in the Seagate Summers series." --Publishers Weekly "Dog devotees and aspiring entrepreneurs will find a friend and mentor in Remy, who adroitly combines her puppy love with a knack for business. She’ll also make a good companion for those self-serious tween readers looking for a little sympathy on the perplexing and often unpleasant road to adolescence." --Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Remy, Micayla, Bennett, and the C Twins are back on Seagate Island for another summer of beach traditions, new and old. A new tradition: keeping Remy’s dog-sitting business going. Remy loves seeing her dog friends (and her real friends, too), but the doldrums start to sink in when it turns into the rainiest summer on record, with evacuation constantly threatening to ruin the world’s most perfect vacation spot. Tempers are short and dogs are bored. What can one 12-year-old do to create summer magic when the summer doesn’t seem to be showing up?

Rockwood Hills Junior High is known for the close-knit cliques that rule the school. When arty new girl Dina gets the opportunity to do a video project with queen bee Chelsea, she thinks this is her ticket to a great new social life. But Chelsea has bigger problems than Dina can imagine: her father has lost his job, and her family is teetering on the brink. Without knowing it, Dina might just get caught in Chelsea’s free fall. Filled with honest truths about status and self-confidence, as well as the bubbly, infectious voice Lisa Greenwald mastered in her breakout, My Life in Pink & Green, this book is sure to charm tween readers everywhere.

Three BFFs prove that girls can do anything they set their minds to in the sixth book in this hilarious series told entirely in text messages, emojis, and passed notes. Perfect for fans of Invisible Emmie and the Dork Diaries. TBH, sometimes boys say dumb things about girls. And Cece is sick of it!When she leads a super-successful event at school to raise awareness, everyone starts looking to her to take charge—of everything. Prianka needs ideas for National Poetry Month, Victoria wants advice on volunteer projects, and Gabby needs homework help. To be honest, being a leader is fun but the pressure is OOC (out of control)! Can Cece help her friends without totally losing it herself?

Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family’s struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won’t help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again—a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy’s family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader? This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it’s great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.F&P level: T F&P genre: RF

Listeners will obsess over the third book in this hilarious and relatable series about best friends who tackle middle school with a list of thirteen things they need to achieve before their first summer apart.Start a movement.Properly thank our teachers before the end of the year.Hula hoop on a unicycle.Some friends feel like family. So, when big life-stuff happens early in the school year--like divorce drama, a sick Bubbie, and lunch table awkwardness--Kaylan and Ari band together to prove their friendship is 100% strong with a new list of 13 goals to achieve before the school year ends and summer begins. But what happens when the challenges they choose expose issues in their friend group? Can a friendship be real and true if secrets are kept between one BFF and the other?Told in the alternating perspectives of two lifelong BFFAEs--with goals inspired by real tweens via a PopJam promotion--this friendship list is bound to be the most heartbreaking and hilarious yet.