The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Patron, S.  (2006).  The Higher Power of Lucky.  Antheneum Books for Young Readers.  134 pages, $16.95

Why is Brigitte acting weird lately?  Lucky discovers Brigitte's (her guardian) passport and suitcase out when they're usually in a safe and in the closet, respectively.  Is Brigitte planning on returning to France?  What will happen to Lucky?  Can Lucky convince Brigitte that she belongs with her and nowhere else?

Lucky is a girl who lives with Brigitte in Hard Pan, a town in the Mojave Desert.  Lucky’s mother died two years ago, and she feels very fortunate that Brigitte is her guardian; otherwise she would have to live in an orphanage in Los Angeles.  Even though Lucky knows that Hard Pan is not the greatest place to live, she likes it, and wants Brigitte to like it too, but Lucky is constantly worrying that Brigitte will decide that Hard Pan is not the place for her and return to France.  Lucky realizes her fears when she sees Brigitte’s passport out, which she keeps in a safe deposit box in a bank in Sierra City and her suitcase is out, which is always kept in her closet.  She also sees a brochure for a culinary institute in France.  Lucky is sure Brigitte is going back to France, so she decides to run away to make Brigitte realize how much she loves Lucky.  On runaway day, Lucky’s plans do not go as they should, but she realizes that Brigitte was not planning on returning to France and she needed her passport as identification for the adoption agency so she can adopt her. 

I really enjoyed this story.  I think the title referred to Lucky and what she is able to do when she puts her mind to it.  She is a very spunky girl, and I wanted her to get the love she deserved from the person she loved the most.  Even though it's clear that Brigitte loves her, for a little while I thought she was going to give up Lucky, but really she was planning on adopting her, which is what Lucky really wanted.  I also enjoyed the simple black and white pictures throughout the book.  I thought that they truly complement the plot of the story.  I think this would be a good book to share with a child who is in Lucky’s situation, but I also think that any child would be able to empathize with Lucky.  From reading this book, they could see that their parents and/or guardians care for them and would do anything and everything they can to protect them.  I think the title refers to Lucky, the main character, and what she can do when she really sets her mind to accomplish something that's very important to her.

This book won the Newbery Award in 2007.  Learn more about the author by visiting her website at http://www.susanpatron.com/.  A companion to The Higher Power of Lucky is Lucky for Good, which is expected to come out in August 2011.  Lucky Breaks is another companion to The Higher Power of Lucky.  Susan Patron has also written Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe.