Lost in Ireland

May 1, 2014

Gr 4-8-Middle-schooler Meghan McGlinchey, third daughter in a large, Irish-American family is extremely superstitious. Upon receiving a chain letter in the mail from an Irish relative, she plans to respond quickly so as not to break the chain. In the interest of getting the letter's promised good luck to begin for her even faster, Meghan emails it to the next recipients rather than the mandated way. After a day filled with one calamity after another, she realizes the error of her ways and, with the help of her friend Carissa, she discovers a way to neutralize her bad luck. A family trip to Ireland ensues, complete with a stay at a genuine, if decaying, castle, plenty of unlucky mishaps, and a host of adventures populated with quirky characters. By novel's end, Meghan is able to see that events first thought of as unlucky may have had a silver lining after all. This humorous novel has elements of mystery, sibling drama, Irish history and geography, and a bit of light tween romance. Readers will want to stick around to see if Meghan's luck takes a turn for the better.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

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