Week 3: The Higher Power of Lucky

• Week: 3
• Book Title: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, Illustrations by Matt Phelan
• Book Cover Image:

Copyright 2006, Antheneum Books

• Book Summary:  Lucky is having a life crisis.  Her mother died, she thinks her dad doesn't want her, her step mother is from France and Lucky thinks she wants to go back. Lucky's job lets her eaves drop on a 12 step program group. She wonders how she can find her own Higher Power. She runs away to the desert where she discovers herself.
• APA Reference:  Patron, S.  The higher power of Lucky. (2006).  New York, NY: Anthenum Books.
• My Impressions:  Although some of the subject matter could be considered objectionable, I found this to be an excellent story.  Lucky is a very interesting character going through tough times.  She manages to keep her chin up even with a bad perm and haircut.  The people living in her small desert town are all survivors, and their children are learning necessary life skills.  Lucky and her friends are interesting and likeable making this a story worth reading.  The story twists and turns make the reader really think about what is important in life, what is necessary, and what a person can live without.
• Professional Review: 
  Beautiful book, not for the faint at heart, every word relevant, February 18, 2007
  By 

  Shulamit Widawsky "Shulamit.info"
  This review is from: The Higher Power of Lucky (Hardcover)
  I bought this book for my 8 and 11 year old boys. And then I bought more for presents for my friends' kids.
  The idea that some librarians are choosing to keep this book off the shelves due to the use of the word "scrotum" right at the beginning of the book is more offensive than the word. Reality check: my boys have lots of words for that part of the anatomy, it's about time they read the proper word used in context of another boy saying it.
  Surprisingly, if it is the "word" that stuns people, then they haven't read the book and thought about how stunning it is to consider a child (Lucky) listening in on a variety of 12-step groups. But those two aspects, and all the rest of the "shocking" things that happen in this book, are all absolutely appropriate, and beautifully written, to make this book something special.
  I highly recommend "Lucky", and I fully agree with the age suggestion assigned it (9-12). My 8yo thought it was awesome, but then, he is in the 4th grade. My 11yo loved it.
  The reality is kids in this age range have all kinds of scary ideas and powerful curiosities. Being able to read about Lucky going through such things gave my kids the opportunity to think about and talk about all kinds of things. As a family, we thought this was an excellent book.
  As for the librarians and teachers who think they don't want to have to give a vocabulary lesson on the word scrotum, ask them how many times they have heard boys in the 9-12 age range yell a variety of less savory words for that part of their anatomy. The scientifically correct word is always worth teaching.
  Read it for yourself, and see.

Widawsky, S.  (2007, February 18).  [Review of the book The higher power of Lucky, by S. Patron]. Shulamit.info.  Retrieved from amazon.com.

• Library Uses:  I think this would be a good book for a book club with kids who have lost a loved one.  It is also an adventure story.  I might put it out with a collection of different adventure stories for students to check out. It is also a good example of living in a desert community.  In the geography/reference section I might put this out as a fiction book to go along with desert studies.