Lucky for Good

June 27, 2011
Patron satisfyingly concludes the trilogy that began with the 2006 Newbery-winning The Higher Power of Lucky. Lucky Trimble, now 11, has carved a comfortable life for herself in tiny Hard Pan, Calif., helping her adoptive mother, Brigitte, run her cafe and spending time with her favorite quirky neighbors and friends, who will be familiar to readers of the previous books. But in the summer before junior high, Lucky is rattled by a threat to Brigitte's business, news about her long-absent father, and her sweet, confusing feelings about her best pal Lincoln. She also worries about her friend Miles, who is forging a relationship with his mother, born-again and recently returned from prison. Lucky navigates these stresses and others with realistically kidlike aplomb, consulting her Higher Power when things seem particularly tough. Patron's memorable setting and cast, as well as some crisp, thought-provoking dialogue, will keep readers hooked as she resolves the plot lines she's set in motion. But the biggest treat is ever-hopeful Lucky, who ends her adventures on a high note. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8â12.

August 1, 2011

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 cafe, 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

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011

Lucky and the other 42 residents of Hard Pan return in this second sequel to the Newbery Award-winning The Higher Power of Lucky.

Change is the only constant in Lucky's life. No sooner has she become used to life with her adoptive mother, Brigitte, and working in Brigitte's home-based Hard Pan Café than the Inyo County Health Department sends apologetic inspector Stu Burping to shut it down. According to regulation #1849, commercial cooking can't be done in a residence. In true Hard Pan fashion, all the eccentric residents cooperate to devise a unique solution. At school, Stu's nephew Ollie causes problems for Lucky. At home, Miles, Lucky's 6-year-old genius friend, is surprised when his mother, Justine, returns from prison, and Lucky's scared the now deeply religious Justine will leave, taking Miles. Can Lucky trust her Higher Power to see her through all this, plus a change in her relationship with best friend Lincoln and the discovery of why her biological father wants nothing to do with her? Bringing a nice sense of closure to the Hard Pan Trilogy, Patron's third Lucky tale is a bit episodic. However, it's as sweet and sure and thoughtful as previous outings.

Lucky's fans will be overjoyed to see her safely on the way to junior high, though some might miss Matt Phelan's art. (Fiction. 9-12)

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Starred review from June 1, 2011
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* The final book of the Hard Pan trilogy brims with the same hardscrabble charm as its predecessors, which include the Newbery Medalwinning The Higher Power of Lucky (2006). This time around, Lucky is 11, and Patron surrounds her with a familiar cast of characters, each of whom brings his or her own challenges. Lucky's mother, Brigitte, runs a caf' that faces a citation from the health inspector; her friend Miles is wrestling with his mother's Evangelical ideas about his education; her friend Lincoln remains his wholly idiosyncratic self; and her father remains incommunicative. Patron distributes the conflicts across episodic chapters, investing them with universality and authenticity that is particularly impressive given each individual's peculiar curiosity. The precise dialoguefilled with irresistible quirks, such as the regular use of which as a conjunctioncontributes to the indelibly human characterizations. McGuire's spot illustrations have a bit more weight than Matt Phelan's sketchy impressions, which appeared in the previous titles, while still maintaining the same sense of breeziness and warmth. Lucky's fans will find great satisfaction in her burgeoning maturity, while newcomers will want to head straight for the stacks for the previous installments of her story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)