Lucky Little Things

May 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-When a mysterious letter arrives under the door of her apartment, Emma is sworn to secrecy. This letter contains a $20 bill, a note that tells her to make a list of 10 lucky little things, and the rule that she is not supposed to tell any human about the letter or her list. In her first middle grade novel, Erlbaum tackles death, friendship, peer pressure, relationships, and bullying. In a period of a few months, Emma's life changed drastically. Her aunt (who was actually her mom's best friend) passed away from cancer; her best friend Savvy has started hanging out with the popular crowd; her mom is starting to date again; and the spring play-in which she hopes to finally get a speaking part-is coming up quickly. With so many different subplots, a wide variety of readers will find this story relatable. The consistent reminders about the letter keep the story moving forward and create an irresistible page-turner. This story reminds readers that even the worst day of your life may lead to the luckiest little thing. VERDICT Reminiscent of Tim Federle's middle grade novels, this is a feel-good supplemental purchase.-Kristin Unruh, Siersma Elementary School, Warren, MI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
What is luck? Is it something that happens to you, or is it perhaps everything that happens to you? Emma Macintyre will have to figure that out.As the story opens, an unsigned letter instructs Emma to write a list of 10 lucky things she wants to have happen and to check her list at month's end to see what her good luck has brought her. Emma is not having a good eighth-grade year. Aunt Jenny--who wasn't really her aunt but her single mom's best friend--died six weeks ago, leaving a big hole in their lives. And her best friend, Savvy, got a new phone and is now more interested in texting, Instagramming, Snapchatting, and trying to fit in with the popular kids than in hanging out with Emma. As the month progresses, good things happen to her: She lands the lead part in the school play, falls in love (though not with the boy on her list, who turns out to be a creep); but bad things also happen: Savvy unwisely sends a topless photo of herself to a boy. In the devastating aftermath, Savvy's moms withdraw her from school. Emma narrates, a convincing young adolescent whose close relationship with her mother is forged in part by their mutual suffering at the hands of her alcoholic WASP grandmother, who comments on the biracial girl's "dusky coloring," inherited from her absent Colombian dad. The savagery of middle school social dynamics will resonate.Though unrealistically pat in the end, it offers a positive message that in life, good and bad come together. (Fiction. 10-14)

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July 16, 2018
Eighth grader Emma Macintyre has been ditched by her best friend for the popular crowd, which includes Emma’s longtime crush. Things look up, though, when an envelope containing an anonymous letter and $20 is slipped under her door. The note promises Emma a month of lucky things: “Some, like this money, will be obvious right away. Others will take time to reveal themselves.” Emma is skeptical, but she makes a list of 10 lucky things that she hopes will happen. When her first wishes start coming true (“#1. Mom gets me a new phone”), Emma wonders whether her big wishes (“#10. Bring Aunt Jenny back”) can possibly happen. Her month brings new friends and opportunities, but is her luck the result of the letter or a change in perspective? Some awkward dialogue and overly self-aware internal musings from Emma prove distracting: “I started looking at my phone, like the typical Gen Z postmillennial I am, tuning out most of their conversation.” And the appealing conceit proves to be thin; readers will quickly guess the mysterious sender’s identity, and the message, that Emma must make her own luck, is transparent. Despite the promising premise, memoirist and novelist Erlbaum’s middle grade debut doesn’t provide quite enough emotional substance to fulfill it. Ages 10–14.