Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron


This book is about Lucky, age 10, who lives in a tiny town in California (population 43), with her dog and the young French woman who is her guardian. Lucky, who is totally contemporary, teeters between bravado--gathering insect specimens, scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Her best friend, Lincoln, is a boy with a fixation for tying knots; another acquaintance, Miles, seems a tiresome pest until Lucky discovers a secret about his mother. This is a fun plot and the characters are endearing. Lucky is not perfect and she does some cowardly things, but she takes pains to put them to rights.  It says Grades 4 to 6 but I would say Grades 7 to 8.  A cute read.

Rating: 3 OK