Kidsreads.com - GREEN by Laura Peyton Roberts

GREEN
by Laura Peyton Roberts
Yearling/Random House Children’s Books
Hardcover: 9780385735582
Paperback: 9780440422358
Ages 10-up
272 pages

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 her as one of their own. GREEN will surely appeal to young readers and the adults who read along with them.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

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