The novel features Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town called Hard Pan (population 43) in the California desert with her two friends Lincoln, who is an avid knot tyer and expected by his mother to be the president when he grows up, and Miles, a five-year-old whose favorite book is "Are You My Mother?" They take shelter in the dugouts near an abandoned mine and wait out the storm. We’d love your help. ( Log Out /  Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It was released in August 2011. To be honest I felt like all the characters were lacking. Ten year old Lucky struggles to find her place. However, I felt like the writing was a bit sloppy, rushed and somewhat lazy in places. I do like that Brigitte is French. This is a Newbery Medal winning book. As the library's Juvenile Materials Collection Development Manager, she trained and mentored children's librarians in 72 branches. In this video Rick Richter, President and Publisher of the Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, states "Simon & Schuster ultimately hopes that readers will recognize this wonderful book as a whole, and the charm and innocence of its main character Lucky, and will see beyond one word and the controversy surrounding the book. To see what your friends thought of this book, I don't know because it did not explain it to anybody, The Higher Power of Lucky (The Hard Pan Trilogy, #1). A cute book, but did anyone else wonder, like I did, why a city with the population of 43 had so many addiction recovery group meetings? Title: The Higher Power of Lucky Author: Susan Patron Illustrator: Matt Phelan Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Genre: Modern Realistic Fiction Level: Intermediate Number of pages: 134 Pub. The Higher Power of Lucky tells the story of Lucky, an anxiety-ridden ten-year-old girl in the dusty Mojave village of Hard Pan, population: 43. You just have to assume so much. Lucky spends m, I primarily chose to read this book because it has been challenged in school libraries. The Higher Power of Lucky. Does it make sense for a person to open a cafe successfully in a town where everyone receives government-supplied canned goods because no one can afford groceries? I love the French. Controversy has arisen over the book due to the use of the word "scrotum" on its first page. Strange and somewhat funny. Lucky constantly frets that Brigitte will leave and return to France. To help ease this fear, Lucky always carries a survival pack with her. And yet all of this comes to pass. (I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. The main character, Lucky, was quirky and intelligent and her adventures were entertaining and ultimately heartwarming. Author: Susan Patron This book reminded me a lot of the books I used to love as a kid, like, I’m not sure what can be said about this that hasn’t already been said—it’s a good book, a very pretty book, somewhat atmospheric, in its way. The bi. Also, I found the book to be a b. We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. "With One Word, Children's Book Sets Off Uproar." Lucky fears that Brigitte is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan. She searches for a Higher Power by overhearing AA meetings for strength and answers. Fiction. If it hadn't been, I might never have found it. She appeared on NPR's Talk of the Nation to defend her choice of words. What I've found is that lately I have been less than impressed with the winning titles. They huddle together until the storm subsides and everyone comes looking for them. Lucky likes to eavesdrop on 12-step meetings, and wonders how she can find her Higher Power. A little girl who searches (as a classmate of mine eloquently phrased it) for "something bigger than herself" in the somewhat barren world of Flat Pan seems like plot gold, but a good idea executed this ineffectively is still a problem. Before she leaves the dugouts, she casts her mother's ashes out in the wind in a makeshift memorial service with the townsfolk. She is now cared for by her father's first wife, Brigitte, who happens to be French. There is a lot of talk about scrotum in this story. The town, Hard Pan, has a population of 43, and the characters presented are as colorf. Lucky Breaks includes Lucky's eleventh birthday, and the introduction of another friend in her world. Ten year old Lucky struggles to find her place. On her way, however, she stumbles upon Miles desperately trying to shelter himself from the storm and brings him with her because he has stepped on a cactus and cannot walk. This one leaves me in the dark, though. I say this realizing the intent of the pro. However, I still think it could have been done better. The conflict is resolved in pretty much the way I’d expected, but it was still very sweet and comforting. Released in 2006 by Simon & Schuster, it was awarded the 2007 Newbery Medal. ( Log Out /  But there’s not a lot of action. Start by marking “The Higher Power of Lucky (The Hard Pan Trilogy, #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. There was just so many questions I was left with about them. Voices from a Medieval Village, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Higher_Power_of_Lucky&oldid=954920708, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 May 2020, at 00:07. Those who listen carefully can find comfort in the experiences of others. I challenge anyone not to care for Lucky and her friends, and to hope that things turn out all right. I had heard all kinds of caveats about it: "There is an 'unsuitable' wordin it." With the exception of Lucky, the characterizations lack depth. Reading this book was like eating raw broccoli. It’s another in the Newbery committee’s standards: a book with a strong character who has some internal conflict, but not a whole lot happens externally. This book has a very unusual setting and story, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You know it's good for you but you'd rather stop eating. After a while, even broccoli starts tasting good. The group is speaking about an elusive mystery called the "Higher Power." Overall, I just can't understand why this book won the Newbery, unless it was a sad year for children's lit. I feel like this book is the exact opposite; I'm sure some adults felt like it was deep and meaningful and rich, but I suspect many children will find it a bit dull and depressing. Nothing that couldn't be cleaned up with some additional editing, but still, to be bestowed the highest honor in children's literature...the writing should be impeccable. The third and final book in Lucky's Hard Pan Trilogy is Lucky For Good. ), My elder daughter and I went to a book reading by Susan Patron this evening which inspired me to finally write a review of. Didn't even come close to bringing feelings into play. Through this, we learn of Lucky’s struggle with her mother’s death and her fear that she will have to go to a foster home with no one to take care of her. ", "Thoughts on the Great Scrotum Kerfuffle of 2007", Good Masters! I've made it a habit to read the Newbery Medal winning books, and often I read the runners-up as well. Also, I found the book to be a bit of a paradox in that it seemed like an adult message with a childishly simple (and often hole-filled) plot. [5] The story gained further exposure when the blogosphere chimed in. In all, though, an excellent story that deals subtly yet astutely in themes of class difference, friendship, death and loss, sadness and kindness. Level: Intermediate Lucky enjoys listening to stories, especially about how to find one’s Higher Power after hitting rock bottom. "American Library Association announces literary award winners", "Bosman, Julie. Not many authors succeed to come close to this benchmark, but. The tale follows Lucky, whose father never wanted children and whose mother died when she was young. But there’s not a lot of action. . As silly as this is, I feel like I have to get that out of the way however, because in reality, while the "scrotum" issue is ridiculous, there are a fair share of legitimate problems with this book (Newbery Award notwithstanding). Her mother died only a couple years ago, and to her knowledge, she has never met her father. There was just so many questions I was left with about them. Lucky is honestly portrayed, and I truly felt that many 10-year-olds could relate to the way Lucky thinks and behaves.

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