Nancy Clancy Seeks a Fortune, written by Jane O'Connor, reviewed by Katy Golden

Summary: Ooh la la! Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy has graduated to chapter books, and is still as genuine, French-obsessed, and fancy as ever! In this seventh installment in the series, which can easily be read as a stand-alone or even as an introduction to our elegant heroine, Nancy and her best friend Bree are intent on striking it rich. Inspired by a class unit on the Gold Rush, all of third grade is picking up the entrepreneurial spirit: Classmates are selling baseball cards, teaching lasso lessons, and hosting biscuit stands. Nancy and Bree are eager to join in, too, but their ideas are less successful: There’s no demand for their homemade face cream, and the supplies for their cardboard tiaras are too expensive to make a profit. Sacre bleu! When their favorite TV show, Antiques in the Attic (think: Antiques Roadshow), comes to town, both girls are thrilled to learn that their possessions are worth a lot of money, but ultimately come to the decision that some things are priceless.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Readers who grew up with Fancy Nancy picture books and early readers will be thrilled with this illustrated chapter book version. The illustrations are simple line drawings that perfectly capture Nancy’s effervescent (and, of course, fancy) style and enthusiasm. Readers will feel accomplished as they pick up Nancy’s “superb” vocabulary by reading the simple definitions that accompany each fancy word (“Nancy and Bree were more than surprised. They were flabbergasted.”). This installment could be used as a companion for an economics unit or alongside Jacqueline Davies' The Lemonade War to teach demand, products and services, and the challenges of entrepreneurship. Nancy Clancy is a gem of an illustrated chapter book series to hand to any fan of a headstrong female lead!