Working Myself to Pieces and Bits Book

I'M LUCY ROSE and here's the thing about friends: I am lucky in them. And here's the thing about that: sometimes they are in need, indeed, especially when one of them buys a plumbing store and needs to diva it up so it can turn into a bakery. That is one job that takes work and costs plenty, and even 72 or more McBees couldn't get that job done by themselves. But between all the stuff you have to do in fourth and my bingo-calling and keeping track of my gigantic vocabulary and trying to keep away from the word thief Ashley and trying to stop the worst rumor you ever heard and dreaming up a money-making scheme that doesn't cost us money and plus having to build that bakery, I am working myself to pieces and bits. I would say most people would be so beat tired they'd collapse on the spot, but here's what I say to that: I am one busy bee who loves my friends.

Children's Literature

This is the fourth in a series on nine-year-old Lucy Rose, a wiser than her years busy body who delights in being in the middle of everything. The main story centers on Lucy's family friends, the McBees, who have just bought an old store to renovate into a bakery. They are limited in time and money, so neighborhood friends and family have chipped in to help. Meanwhile, Lucy has drama of her own at school with typical elementary aged jealousy and one-upmanship. The story is told in diary form by Lucy and is sometimes hard to follow, as a true 9-year-old's thoughts and actions would be, but her take on life is humorous, generous, and loving as the story stresses doing the right thing, being a good friend, and the power of working together. Readers will get hooked on Lucy Rose and her wise cracking family. Occasional black and white illustrations add to the humor. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger, Ph.D.