The Higher Power of Lucky

Novel
Title: The Higher Power of Lucky
Author: Susan Patron
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Age Level: 9-11
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary
This book captures the journey of Lucky, a ten-year-old girl living in Hard Pan California.  She has experienced many hardships in her life, her dad leaving her, her mother dying, and she becomes very concerned and sure that her guardian, Brigitte, is planning to leave her and go back home to France.

Opinion
While reading this book, I never realized how much discussion could be drawn from the context within its covers.  I always love discussing books and I was surprised at how well the literary elements played a vital role in reading and understanding the story and journey that lucky takes.  Point of view becomes an important part of this story and allows us to see what is going on in the third person.  We were able to see the story through Lucky's perception and this gave us little insight into the minds of the other characters in the story.  Consequently, we became very caught up in Lucky's struggles and emotions and experienced anticipation and wonder with Lucky, searching for the answer to the question of Brigitte leaving.  Theme is also another literary element that is very evident in this story.  Patron is able to convey the theme in her book that family can be with you without actually being there.  Her mother is dead and her father chose to not raise her but she has other people in her life that are just as faithfull and important to her.  I also thought that this book was rich with metaphors and symbols that provide depth to the text and allow for students to construct deeper meaning and challenge themselves a bit.

This book is one that I think would be very beneficial for students to read because it provides literature that is filled with a lot of meaning and can make students really think.  Great classroom discussion can branch from the topics encountered in this book and that is something that is important if students are going to develop an understanding of the literary elements.