Bad Luck Brad

May 1, 2002
Gr. 1-2. Brad cleans out his desk, attends a party with a grab-bag present exchange, and leaves school behind for summer fun. Still, it hasn't been a great day for Brad. First he overslept. Then he got a lemonade breakfast bar instead of one of the few with chocolate chips. At the party, his grab-bag present was a toy pony, a " girl "gift (perhaps because so few boys are in his class). At the arcade, he puts a quarter into a gumball machine, hoping for one of the red ones, but gets white instead. As Brad discovers in this book from the Math Matters series, luck is sometimes a function of probability. Even readers who don't quite get the point will sympathize with Brad's feelings. Those who do will have an inkling that numbers might indicate the difference between having a chance and having a good chance of a desired outcome. Bright, expressive illustrations enhance this story, one of the few that take place on the " last" day of school.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)