The Higher Power of Lucky

This 2006 Newbery winner is filled with superb characterizations, and the talented Cassandra Campbell turns each into a splendid dramatic opportunity. The eccentric heroine is 10-year-old Lucky, who entertains herself by eavesdropping on AA meetings at the Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center. Campbell slips into the Southern drawl of one of the "anonymous people" who talk about a "Higher Power" and subtly communicates Lucky's own longing for support. Campbell gives Lucky's beautiful guardian, Brigitte, a French accent and a tone of vagueness that makes Lucky wonder if Brigitte might leave. Campbell enlivens fascinating characters, like Lucky's knot-artist friend, Lincoln, and gives Lucky depth as she reveals her unresolved grief over her mother's death. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

February 12, 2007
Patron's poignant Newbery-winning story about a girl who fears being abandoned by her legal guardian—and her only semblance of a family—sails along with believable childlike rhythms and kid's-eye-view observations. Listeners will especially appreciate Campbell's subtlety and smooth, comforting delivery in a heartbreaking scene in which 10-year-old Lucky recalls, with gentle support from her best friend, her deceased mother's memorial service. On the remainder of the recording, Campbell remains a welcoming guide to Lucky's world—populated by eccentric friends, the quirky townspeople of tiny, struggling Hard Pan, Calif.—and Brigitte, the guardian she desperately wants to keep, maybe with some help from a Higher Power. Campbell appropriately gives recent Parisian transplant Brigitte a French accent, though it's thankfully never overplayed. By program's end, listeners will be rooting for Lucky and Brigitte to remain together forever. Contains an interview with the author, in which Patron says she is working on a companion novel. Ages 9-up.

May 1, 2007
Gr 4-6 -Ten-year-old Lucky is sure that if she finds her Higher Power she will gain special insight into her life, just like the people she eavesdrops on at the Anonymous meetings. Lucky knows about the uncertainty of life because she lost her mother in a sudden accident two years ago and her guardian, Brigitte, is homesick for France. Hard Pan, California, population 43, is a unique and sometimes harsh place, but Lucky loves life at the edge of the desert with people that she knows and loves. The youngster wants to be a scientist and has so many questions in the crevices of her brain. Her motto is to stay alert and to carry a survival kit at all times because things happen when you least expect them. When she thinks that Brigitte plans to leave, Lucky knows she has hit rock bottom and must run away, although things don't turn out the way she plans. Narrator Cassandra Campbell brings Susan Patron's Newbery Award-winning novel (Atheneum, 2006) to life, giving each character a slightly different, expressive voice. Brigitte's soft French accent and Lucky's earnest longing and unique view of life are especially captivating. The novel addresses difficult topics such as death, absent parents, and addiction with realism, humor, and wonder, making the overall message one of hope and love.Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.