Lucky

Starred review from May 19, 2008
Vail (You, Maybe
) again demonstrates a penetrating insight into the concerns of young teen girls, this time upending the conventions of the rich-girl novel. In the first of a trilogy about three sisters, 14-year-old Phoebe, the appealing narrator, and her two older siblings have been coached to view themselves and their über-successful investor mother as Valkyries (“Nobody—nothing—can intimidate us. We will never back down; we will never surrender,” their mother tells them over breakfast). Less a Valkyrie than a people-pleaser, Phoebe has joined her best friends to plan a lavish eighth-grade graduation party, for which Phoebe has picked out a Vera Wang gown. But when her mother gets fired abruptly for what could be shady dealings, Phoebe is forced to think about money for the first time, and to wonder how much effect it has on her friendships and popularity. Vail gets the relationships exactly right, from the shifting twosomes among the sisters to the changing attitudes among the eighth-grade friends and their parents, and most especially, the shifts in behavior within her protagonist. Readers will absorb this in one fell swoop. Ages 12–up.

April 1, 2008
Gr 6-8-Rich girls, extravagant spending, and an elaborate party sound like the recipe for yet another in the long series of spoiled-rotten-girl books that have been abundant in the past few years. Luckily, this one is different. The first in a trilogy about the Avery sisters, it focuses on the youngest, Phoebe, whose picture-perfect family is facing a challenge. Mr. Avery is a kindergarten teacher, and it is clear that Mrs. Avery's income maintains the family's lifestyle: cars, housekeeper, pool, vacations, and a nanny who spends a lot of her time chauffeuring the girls around. When a business deal falls apart and threatens the family's financial security, loyalties, priorities, and relationships are brought into question. What rings so true is Phoebe's complete ignorance about money. Her family has it, they've always had it, and they never talk about it. It is a real transformation in the eighth grader's life when all of a sudden her parents start talking about what things cost and what they can (and can't) afford. Readers will find that the middle school characters act appropriately for their ages and the parents, while peripheral, are essential to their children's sense of self as young adults. Kindness and understanding emerge in unexpected, fresh, and satisfying ways, and readers will be looking forward to finding out what lies ahead for the Avery family."Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2008
Fourteen-year-old Phoebe had never really considered the role that wealth and popularity played in her lucky life until both are threatened after her mom suddenly loses her job. Now her parents cant afford to pay for Phoebes expensive eighth-grade graduation party or the green Vera Wang dress she was dreaming of wearing to it. At first, she tries to convince her sisters and four best friends that everything is still all good. But after some tearful soul-searching, Phoebe faces up to the truth, and she discovers that shes still rich in friendship and also lucky in love. This entertaining, albeit predictable, first volume in a planned trilogy will appeal to Meg Cabot and Maureen Johnson groupies, as well asfans of Michael Simmons Pool Boy (2003). Vails insightful characterizations of teen girls and their shifting loyalties is right on target, and her insertion of several uncomfortably realistic moments, such as when Phoebes moms credit card is publicly confiscated, will leave readers squirming in embarrassed sympathy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)