Helpful Score: 1
Grade 1-3-Two books that introduce realistic and humorous situations. In Marsha, Lulu's moment in the spotlight at a dance recital is threatened when her younger sister, a lowly member of the ensemble, crawls too close to the edge of the stage. In Lucky, Star accidentally damages her library book. When her attempts to repair it are not successful, she and a friend start weeding a neighbor's garden to earn money to replace it. This inspires them to have a sidewalk sale for money to buy toys. Young readers will identify both with Star's concerns and her friendship. The illustrations are filled with subtle humor, especially those chronicling the attempts to remove a pizza-sauce thumbprint from the page of a book.
