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Lucky for Good

by Susan Patron
Lucky for Good by Susan Patron; illus. by Erin McGuire Intermediate Atheneum 207 pp. 8/11 978-1-4169-9058-1 $16.99 g
COPY ISBN
Just as things are going smoothly for eleven-year-old Lucky and her now-officially adoptive mom Brigitte (The Higher Power of Lucky, rev. 1/07; Lucky Breaks, rev. 3/09), trouble arrives in the form of county inspector Stu Burping, tasked to shut down Brigitte's Hard Pan Café. The community, not one to suffer bureaucrats gladly, rallies in a most spectacular way to save the place. Meanwhile, as punishment for punching out Mr. Burping's xenophobic nephew, Ollie, Lucky must draw up a family tree—no mean feat for the girl whose absentee father shunted her off on his first ex-wife after Lucky's mother died. With Brigitte's help, Lucky tracks down her father's half-sister, leading to gratifying, if bittersweet, closure. Lucky's other important relationships are shifting, too; most notably a more-than-friends moment with knot-tying Lincoln and a marriage proposal from young Miles, whose just-out-of-jail, born-again mother challenges Lucky's most steadfast beliefs. McGuire's black-and-white spot illustrations (like Matt Phelan's in the first two books) beautifully capture moments between the characters: the clinging embrace of Miles and his mom, Lucky's antagonistic glares at Ollie and affectionate glances at Lincoln. The book closes at summer's end, on the eve of the café's reopening and with Lucky poised to start junior high. She's no longer the insecure little girl toting around her "survival kit backpack…worried about losing her way"; instead, she's well positioned to face life's uncertainties, secure in her family and her own "higher power." ELISSA GERSHOWITZ
Gr 4—6—As the third book in Patron's series opens, the tiny desert town of Hard Pan (population 43) is bustling. Lucky's adoptive mother, Brigitte, who has opened a small café, gets an unwelcome visit from the county health inspector, who threatens to shut things down. Miles's mother, Justine, is sprung from jail and is full of newfound religious platitudes. This causes her supremely scientific son no small amount of grief. Lucky gets into a fight with a middle schooler (who just happens to be the health inspector's nephew), works on tracking down her father's only living relative, and gets her first kiss. There are also tidbits of poetry, art, genealogy, and health ordinances. Yes, Patron packs a lot into this book, but nothing feels rushed or shortchanged. That is a tribute to the strength of her writing and the depth of her characterizations. As in the previous books, the plot rambles slightly (this is a good thing) and the kids are super thoughtful and articulate. Miles's mother's religion, while not unexpected, feels like it comes down heavily in the final third of the book, but it allows Lucky to contemplate her Higher Power, and although she questions Justine's choices, she is never judgmental. This is a terrific read and a lovely completion to the trilogy.—Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT
Just as things are going smoothly for Lucky and Brigitte (The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky Breaks), trouble arrives in the form of restaurant inspector Stu Burping. Meanwhile, Lucky must draw up a family tree--no mean feat for her--which leads to gratifying, if bittersweet, closure. McGuire's black-and-white spot illustrations beautifully capture moments between characters as Lucky's important relationships are shifting.
Reviewed by Geri Diorio , Jul 01, 2011

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