1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Patron, Susan. 2006. THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY. Ill. by Matt Phelan. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 1416901949
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Lucky is a ten year old girl who lives in the small town of Hard Pan, California (population 43). Living with her guardian (her father's first wife, Brigitte), Lucky has already endured the death of her mother and the absence of her father who wants nothing to do with her.
Lucky's part-time job is to clean up after the various self-help groups that meet nearby. She cleans up cigarette butts for the AA meetings, beer bottles for the Gamblers Anonymous, etc. But she picks up something else along the way...a knowledge that she needs a higher power to find happiness.
Lucky is convinced that Bridgett misses her life in France and Lucky is to blame. She runs away in a dust storm, being careful to bring along her survival-kit backpack. In doing so, she finds the true depth of her relationship with Bridgett and finally comes to grips with the loss of her mother.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
What we quickly come to realize is that Lucky is not lucky after all. In just ten short years, she has suffered great loss and yet still manages to be a typical kid.
We are introduced to great characters like her friend Lincoln who is incredibly talented at knot tying and has a presidential name that may make him Executive in Chief one day. We also meet Miles whose diet consists solely of cookies and whose favorite book is Are You My Mother? (Coincidence? I think not.) And who can forget the great name of her dog, HMS Beagle? There is great depth of character here and we quickly get involved with Miles and Lincoln and even Bridgett.
Lucky's part-time job is to clean up after the various self-help groups that meet nearby. She cleans up cigarette butts for the AA meetings, beer bottles for the Gamblers Anonymous, etc. But she picks up something else along the way...a knowledge that she needs a higher power to find happiness.
Lucky is convinced that Bridgett misses her life in France and Lucky is to blame. She runs away in a dust storm, being careful to bring along her survival-kit backpack. In doing so, she finds the true depth of her relationship with Bridgett and finally comes to grips with the loss of her mother.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
What we quickly come to realize is that Lucky is not lucky after all. In just ten short years, she has suffered great loss and yet still manages to be a typical kid.
We are introduced to great characters like her friend Lincoln who is incredibly talented at knot tying and has a presidential name that may make him Executive in Chief one day. We also meet Miles whose diet consists solely of cookies and whose favorite book is Are You My Mother? (Coincidence? I think not.) And who can forget the great name of her dog, HMS Beagle? There is great depth of character here and we quickly get involved with Miles and Lincoln and even Bridgett.
Patron delivers her story with witty reparte and allows us to enter into the mind of a 5th grader...perish the thought. We also get quite a bleak view of the living conditions of the people in Hard Pan. Yet Lucky and her crew manage to rise above.
Although we see lots of hard times and people down on their luck, this is a story of hope and we begin to see that Lucky is just that after all; lucky.
This has all of the characteristics of contemporary realistic fiction.
1. This book tells a story that never happened but could happen.
2. It is set in present time (contemporary).
3. It could really happen (realistic).
4. But it is still created by the author (fiction).
5. There is controvery (use of the word "scrotum" has caused it to be on several banned book lists) and "problems" (effects of death on children, insight into self-help groups, living with a single parent, etc.).
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Starred review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "This character-driven novel has an unusually complicated backstory, and a fair amount of exposition. Yet, its quirky cast and local color help to balance this fact, and the desert setting is fascinating. Lucky's tendency to jump to conclusions is frustrating, but her struggle to come to terms with her mother's death and with her new life ring true."
* Starred review from BOOKLIST: "Patron's plotting is as tight as her characters are endearing. Lucky is a true heroine, especially because she's not perfect: she does some cowardly things, but she takes pains to put them to rights."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Have kids discuss Lucky's survival kit backpack. What sort of things would you keep in your own survival kit backpack and what would they be used for?
*Lucky has been through some tough times in her life. Write a brief paragraph on why the author named her main character "Lucky".
* Starred review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "This character-driven novel has an unusually complicated backstory, and a fair amount of exposition. Yet, its quirky cast and local color help to balance this fact, and the desert setting is fascinating. Lucky's tendency to jump to conclusions is frustrating, but her struggle to come to terms with her mother's death and with her new life ring true."
* Starred review from BOOKLIST: "Patron's plotting is as tight as her characters are endearing. Lucky is a true heroine, especially because she's not perfect: she does some cowardly things, but she takes pains to put them to rights."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Have kids discuss Lucky's survival kit backpack. What sort of things would you keep in your own survival kit backpack and what would they be used for?
*Lucky has been through some tough times in her life. Write a brief paragraph on why the author named her main character "Lucky".
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