The Higher Power of Lucky (10/12)

Title: The Higher Power of Lucky

Author: Susan Patron

Illustrator: Matt Phelan

Ages: 6 and up

Type: Novel

Rating: 5

Summary: When Lucky's mother is suddenly killed in a freak accident, Brigitte hops on a plane to Hard Pan to take care of Lucky. Brigitte is from France and until the death of Lucky's mother, had never spoken to, or even met Lucky. Lucky is scared that Brigitte will just leave her and fly back to France. In order to avoid more heart ache, Lucky decides she is going to run away. As Lucky struggles to cope with her mother's death, she searches for it by trying to find her "Higher Power" and  along the way she discovers the importance of trust, friendship and family. 

The symbols and metaphors that are represented in this book is what kept me hooked as a reader. Brigitte had a parsley grinder that she absolutely loved because it reminded her of France and being at home. Every time Lucky sees that parsley grinder you can feel her heart break. She never says what the parsley grinder means to her but you know as a reader it is a constant reminder that Brigitte has no commitment to stay here. Another big symbol in this book is Lucky's mother's urn. The urn represents all the pain and struggle that Lucky has gone through. Since the ashes are still inside it represents Lucky's inability to move on from her mother's death. Finally, one of my favorite symbols is the colors that are represented in this book. At one point Lucky is learning about evolution and how species survived based on survival of the fittest and the traits humans needed were passed down, while the one's we didn't were lost. Lucky gets to thinking and decides that the reason she has blonde hair, fair skin, and fair colored eyes is because she lives in the desert so she was made to blend it. I just thought this was an amazing connection for someone her age to be making. Out of everything in this novel so for some reason that experience really stood out of me. 

Another thing that I really loved about this book was the relationship between Lucky and Lincoln. Lincoln is Lucky's best friend. They would do anything for each other. When reading about their friendship I am reminded of my friend in pre-school, Eric. We were also neighbors so I was at his house all the time and vice versa. When reading this novel you can sense the romantic relationship between them but since they are so young they will never admit it. At that age it is better to just have a best friend then get involved with all the adult mushy gushy romance.

It is also amazing to see the transformation of Lucky from an insecure little girl into a mature young adult. In the beginning of this novel she doesn't trust Brigitte. By the end of the novel she realizes how much Brigitte loves her and sacrificed her own life in order to make sure Lucky was cared for. One of the biggest transformations you discover while reading, is the ups and downs Lucky goes through to cope with her mother's death. In the beginning of the novel Lucky was constantly blaming her mother for not being careful and not thinking. Lucky blames the death of her mother on her mother's carelessness. By the end of the novel Lucky is ready to let go of her mother and even spreads her ashes out over the desert. Lucky is such a dynamite character that you can make a personal connection with. That is what makes this book so good. You can relate to Lucky, or any character in this book.