The Higher Power of Lucky, written by Susan Patron, won the Newbery Medal in 2007. Lucky is a ten year old girl who lives in Hard Pan, population 43. Her mother was electrocuted and died. Her father, who did not want children, enlisted the help of his first wife to become the guardian of Lucky until she got placed in foster care. Brigitte is from Paris, France who agrees to take care of Lucky for a short time. Lucky finds refuge in her job where she cleans up after twelve step meetings of ones trying to recover from alcohol, smoking, gambling, etc. She also finds comfort of always carrying her survival kit with her in case of emergency. Lucky finds friendship in her best friend who is interested in knot tying and her neighbor that makes annoying noises and loves cookies.
Two years later, Lucky gets worried that Brigitte is going to return to France after overhearing conversations Brigitte has with her mother and discovering a passport and information to a culinary school in Paris. Worried that Brigitte is leaving, Lucky packs her survival kit and takes her dog named HMS Beagle and runs away. She is in search of her Higher Power, a term she always hears at the twelve step meetings, so she can take control over her life.
I did not enjoy reading this book. Many aspects of the book were unbelievable such as Lucky being taken care of her father’s first wife and her best friend that is obsessed with knot tying. One character of the book lives in an old water tower. The unbelievable characters and little quirks caused me to not like this book.
Despite this book winning the great honor of the Newbery Medal, it has been banned from many libraries. The word “scrotum” is used on the first page of the book as Lucky eaves drops through a hole in a wall as she listens to an Alcohol Anonymous meeting. When he fell out of the car “he saw a rattlesnake on the passenger seat biting his dog, Roy, on the scrotum”. This book has sparked discussions about censorship and what is acceptable in school libraries.
Two years later, Lucky gets worried that Brigitte is going to return to France after overhearing conversations Brigitte has with her mother and discovering a passport and information to a culinary school in Paris. Worried that Brigitte is leaving, Lucky packs her survival kit and takes her dog named HMS Beagle and runs away. She is in search of her Higher Power, a term she always hears at the twelve step meetings, so she can take control over her life.
I did not enjoy reading this book. Many aspects of the book were unbelievable such as Lucky being taken care of her father’s first wife and her best friend that is obsessed with knot tying. One character of the book lives in an old water tower. The unbelievable characters and little quirks caused me to not like this book.
Despite this book winning the great honor of the Newbery Medal, it has been banned from many libraries. The word “scrotum” is used on the first page of the book as Lucky eaves drops through a hole in a wall as she listens to an Alcohol Anonymous meeting. When he fell out of the car “he saw a rattlesnake on the passenger seat biting his dog, Roy, on the scrotum”. This book has sparked discussions about censorship and what is acceptable in school libraries.
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