The Higher Power of Lucky

Written by Susan Patron

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

BONUS FEATURE: EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Lucky, age ten, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has.

It's all Brigitte's fault-for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. She'll have to lose her friends Miles, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, future U.S. president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Just as bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own-and quick.

But she hadn't planned on a dust storm.

Or needing to lug the world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert.


From the Compact Disc edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Jan 16, 2007
• ISBN: 9780739339497

Susan Patron

Susan Patron specialized in Children's Services for 35 years at the Los Angeles Public Library before retiring in 2007, the same year her novel The Higher Power of Lucky was awarded the John Newbery Medal. As the library's Juvenile Materials Collection Development Manager, she trained and mentored children's librarians in 72 branches. Patron has served on many book award committees, including the Caldecott and Laura Ingalls Wilder Committees of the American Library Association. She is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Patron's previous books for children include the Billy Que trilogy of picture books; Dark Cloud Strong Breeze; and a chapter book, Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe. All earned starred reviews, and the latter was named an ALA Notable book. The Higher Power of Luck will be translated into twelve foreign languages and has been optioned for a motion picture. Married to a rare book restorer from the Champagne region of France, Susan is working on the final book in the "Lucky" trilogy.

Reviews for The Higher Power of Lucky

[msmarymac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a strange book to me that turned out to be a pleasant read. Lucky is constantly searching for some direction in her life and finds it in the very place she thought she wasn't wanted. Tale of survival and sticking together as well as making the most of your situation. The way Brigette used the government subsidy food might be fun for the kids to take a couple of odd ingredients and try to come up with some "dish" they could eat. As well as having them make a list of all the things they think they would need in their survival pack BEFORE reading about Lucky's departure and then see if they had any of the necessary items in "THEIR list of supplies that Lucky hadn't thought to pack.

[donnamariemerritt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What do you do when your mother dies and the first wife of your father (who didn't want you) moves from France to the California desert to be your guardian but you secretly fear she wants to go back and leave you, too? And what do you, the reader, do when people object to the book because the word "scrotum" (referring to a dog's) is on the first page? You sit back and enjoy every minute of Lucky's life and you cry at the end.From the book:"Her regular clothes were faded from many washings and from the sun, but the redness of this dress was the same thing for your eyes as a sonic boom is for your ears, or a jalapeno pepper is for your mouth."

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Growing up in a tiny, impoverished community in the high desert, Lucky must find a way to deal with her grief over her mother's death and her fear that her guardian might choose to leave her.This book has excellent sensory descriptions, and the main character is nuanced and fully realized. However, I find that the plot is too ephemeral, and there are too many details which strain credulity, for me to really love it. This book won the Newbery when I was in grad school, the first year I really paid attention. It was a surprise to a lot of people then, and I still find it a quirky choice. I'm sure it has its readers out there, but it's not one I think of when I'm recommending books.

[jnselko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A marvelous story, well told and enchantingly innocent.

[kconcannon_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this as my way of celebrating banned book week. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a Newbery winner the way Konigsburg or Peck write Newbery winners. But this was as an adult reading a children's book and perhaps I've gotten a little jaded. Duct tape will be forever known as "that sticky gray tape". I liked Lucky's friends better than I liked her. I never got a complete feeling of her. Enh, maybe my expectations were too high. And the people who banned this book for the use of the word scrotum are num-nums.

[Zuryislife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite part was when Lucky help miles with the burr burr

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ten-year-old Lucky Trimble lives in Hard Pan, California, pop. 43, at the edge of the desert. Her mom recently died as the result of going outside after a storm and touching a downed electrical wire. She’s now living with her biological father’s first wife, Birgitte, who has come from France to look after Lucky. And Lucky is afraid Birgitte will return to France, leaving her in an orphanage.Lucky hangs around the town hall where all the “anonymous” meetings are held (Alcoholics, Gamblers, Overeaters) and she overhears them all talking about finding their ‘higher power’. Lucky thinks if she can find her higher power, Birgitte will stay in Hard Pan with Lucky.Very sweet.4 stars

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Higher Power of Lucky is one the most delightful young reader's books I have encountered. (The two sequels, Lucky Breaks and Lucky for Good are pretty high up there too.) It is a small, gentle and delightful tale set in an eccentric desert town with a population of 43. Lucky Trimble is a young orphan who is worried that her guardian, a young French woman who came to America to take the job, is going to abandon her and return to France. A handful of other townspeople, children and adults, flesh out the story, as Lucky learns what love and family and friends really are. If I were 10 again, I would want Lucky to be my best friend.

[jennk-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first time I tried to read this book I was unable to get past the third chapter. After reading it again for class, I have no idea why this is.

Lucky Trimble makes life seem wonderful even in a little town like Hard Pan. One of my favorite things about this book are the little scientific tidbits. This arises partly because Lucky wants to be a scientist, but Patron also includes it in her narration. Further, all the supporting characters are unique and add a little something special to Lucky's life and the book.

There are a few unanswered questions (like the logistics behind Brigitte coming to California), but overall this is an entertaining read.

[mirrani_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Let me start off by saying that the world needs more variety when it comes to representation of family in young readers literature. This book includes just such a situation, even if the way it comes together is highly unusual.Lucky's mother has passed away and she is being looked after by a temporary guardian. Each character and situation bring Lucky closer to understanding herself and discovering the true idea behind the word "family." The events of the book also teach her about pushing past your fears and finding determination. There is even a little adventure near the end. The story itself can feel odd in places, but I actually found it unique and entertaining.This is a book of relationships and making it through hard times. It shows us that we don't have to be blood relations to love each other like a family would. I think any child with a unique voice or a typically underrepresented family structure should identify with this story, but I think just about anyone should be able to enjoy this quirky little girl and her rather interesting acquaintances.

[klburnside · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite Newbery. I found the voice of the narrator unrealistic and slightly annoying.

[andreablythe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young girl named Lucky lives in a tiny desert town in California, has a passion for science, and likes to eavesdrop on AA and other Anonymous meetings, which have inspired her to look for her own Higher Power. Terrified that her guardian Brigitte might abandon her and go back to France, she tries to find ways to get Brigitte to stay. A simple, sweet story with simple resolutions.

[ljhliesl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sweet. Short for a Newbery, but short is not necessarily bad: Sarah Plain and Tall is could not be better; but nor could it be longer or simpler. It is unrealistic for being set in the real world, though, and that is the biggest strike against it. No matter how much Brigitte loved Lucky, she had better reason to leave Hard Pan than to stay; I have yet to hear of an adult living somewhere she doesn't want to just because it's where a child does want to.

I cannot stomach that the word "scrotum" on the first page got whoever's undies in a knot. It wasn't even a person's scrotum but a dog's, and a rattlesnake bite is not sexually suggestive. (Maybe the offensive thing is that the dog still had one rather than being neutered.) Haven't these people read _A Day No Pigs Would Die_, or do they squirm and fret about that too?

Only four Newberys left! Until I'm caught up, anyway.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know that the whole discussion of the male genital region is cause for a lot of concern among my librarian friends, but the story as a whole was okay. It wasn't the best story I've ever read, but it wasn't terrible. I don't really see why they didn't edit it out foreseeing the backlash such a mention certainly would cause, but the story was okay otherwise. The mention of government surplus food handouts and the general poverty of the area certainly would be enlightening for a lot of readers. Not my favorite book of all time, but I probably will take a look at the other books in the series.

[alyssakimpisarski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This 2007 Newbery award winner tells Lucky’s story of overcoming her biological mother’s death and forging a new family unit with her guardian. Told with a third person, omniscient narrative voice the audience learns that Lucky draws her inspiration through the 12 step model of alcoholics anonymous anthem. This book consists of twenty-three short chapters and is enhanced with small pencil drawn illustrations that depict focal points from the narrative. While the length of the book and illustrations give the appearance of a youthful book. The storyline involves emotional and complicated topics such as poverty, class divisions, loss and loneliness as perceived by a ten year old girl. While this book is intended as a middle school chapter book, it has potential applications in lower high school. It should be noted that imagery and language used in this book may conflict with conservative audiences. This book is highly recommended for purchase in a public and school library as a middle school and early high school chapter book. (Ages 10-15)

[akmargie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. Wasn't bad, just didn't do anything for me. But then it wasn't written for me. Also not sure what kid I would hand this too.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book full of lovable eccentrics, set in a tiny hamlet in the Northern Mojave Desert. Lucky, whose mother is dead and whose father never wanted children, lives with her guardian, Brigitte, her father's first wife, in three hooked-together trailers in Hard Pan, California. She has a fifty-mile bus ride to school, a friend named Lincoln who is enthralled with knot-tying, and a pesty little neighbor named Miles. Her spiritual education comes from eavesdropping on twelve-step meetings.Misunderstandings lead to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’m not sure what can be said about this that hasn’t already been said—it’s a good book, a very pretty book, somewhat atmospheric, in its way. But there’s not a lot of action. It’s another in the Newbery committee’s standards: a book with a strong character who has some internal conflict, but not a whole lot happens externally. In this particular case, I think it worked better than, say, Criss Cross, because THPOL really is about being in a town that’s perfectly happy with the status quo. The big conflict comes when 10-year-old Lucky finds evidence that her guardian, Brigitte—who came all the way from France to take care of her—wants to move back to her home country, probably without Lucky. The conflict is resolved in pretty much the way I’d expected, but it was still very sweet and comforting.

That’s the main word I think I’d use for it, actually—comforting. It’s a story of a girl who lives a quiet life, surrounded by people she loves and who loves her. Reading this book leaves you with the feeling that you’ve been sitting on the couch with a loved one—it’s not quite a hug, but still a very comfortable proximity, if that makes any sense. It wouldn’t have been my choice for the Newbery (I’ve ranted on this in earlier years; I find it very sad that books like Ramona stand no chance at all these days), but I can appreciate that they did finally choose a middle-grade book, instead of the teen-friendly novels they’ve been picking.

[claireforhan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book, but I think it may be a little deep for the general age group that is reading it (late elementary, early middle school). The search for the main character, Lucky's, "higher power," seems to be a more complex theme than some kids can grasp. Most young children may struggle with the idea of what exactly is a higher power- even me, 18, struggled a little with this while reading. I really enjoyed Lucky as a character. She had a young, adventurous, "I can conquer the world" kind of attitude, and I think many kids can somewhat relate to her. Brief synopsis:As Lucky listens through a whole in the fence to the members of an anonymous 12 step meeting, she learns of the concept of a "higher power." This sends Lucky on the quest to find her higher power. She receives 3 signs that it was time for her to run away because Lucky is worried her guardian is going to leave her. Lucky struggles with what the right decision is while she is running away during a sandstorm and comes to grow as a person. I was honestly a little confused on if Lucky actually found her higher power and insight into her life, but she did learn the her guardian indeed loved her and wanted to adopt her.Classroom extension:Discuss what a "higher power" is and possible events in our own life that show us insight into ourselves. Have students create their own "12 steps" to overcoming a problem they face. Create their own survival bag- what necessary things would you need to run away?

[jojamo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Lucky is a 10-year old that lives in a small town (population 43) at the edge of the Mohave Desert in California. Her mother has passed away and her father has abandoned her. She lives with her Guardian, Brigitte, who is from France. Lucky carries a survival kit with her wherever she goes. She collects insects and spiders for a school project, scares away a snake that found in the dryer. When she finds evidence that Brigitte might be going back to France, and abandoning Lucky, she decides to run away. Lucky didn’t plan on the dust storm, or 5-year old Miles also on a runaway mission, getting lost in the dust storm. She rescues Miles and they take shelter in a dugout until some of the town’s people figure out where they are. Lucky finds out that Brigitte is planning on legally adopting her.Personal reaction: This story would be good for pre-teens who are coming of age and discovering who they are or where they fit in. I think Lucky and Miles are drawn together because they are both missing their mothers, and the book “Are You My Mother?” is very fitting for the story. Lucky shows bravery in collecting the insects and scaring off the snake. Classroom extension: 1. This book could be used in a study about insects. The student could collect and display different insect specimens. 2. This book could also be used in a study about survival. The student could make different kinds of survival kits.

[mzzcolby · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Abandoned by her father and left orphan by the unexpected death of her mother, ten year old Lucky is under the temporary guardianship of French expatriate Bridgette, a women out of place in the desert of Hard Pan, California, population 43. Lucky needs to find this mysterious higher power that she keeps hearing about when she eavesdrops on her down-on-their-luck neighbors during local 12-step anonymous meetings, and get back control of her own life once and for all. Though Lucky’s isolated and meager town is a world away from many children’s privileged and over-scheduled lives, upper elementary readers will appreciate Lucky’s questioning attitude and patent honesty towards her overwhelmed guardian, her quirky neighbors and her loyal friends. Quaint pencil drawing deftly integrated into the text highlight important details from the story, helping the reader to understand the author’s descriptions of unfamiliar objects and scenarios. Banned by many school libraries for the innocent use of the word “scrotum” in the protagonist’s retelling of a unusual story involving a dog and a rattlesnake, this book is nonetheless a charming account of a plucky girl who has befallen hard times, but who continues to make the best of it.

[bettyb112 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a good read, nothing spectacular, but good. I enjoyed Lucky's story. I would have moved, though- Population 43???

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucky lives in a one horse town with her father's ex-wife because her mom died and her dad doesn't want her. Lucky cleans up after the "anonymous" meetings and really wants to find her own higher power. Sweet and engaging book.

[booklizard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the story itself, but I would recommend reading the book instead of listening to it if you're at all squeamish. Lucky wants to be a scientist like Charles Darwin and collects specimens of bugs.

[kaseyplumbtree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: This book is about a girl named Lucky. She is a ten year old girl and is from California. She lives with a French Guardian. The French woman looks after her because her mother passed away and her dad is not much of a dad. This book is about Lucky and how she is searching for comfort. She is basically longing to know what her higher power is.Personal Reaction: This is a good book. I feel like all children can relate to Lucky’s character. I am glad this book is a Newbery winner. I feel like children will enjoy this book.Classroom extension ideas: Discuss the book out loud, Quiz on the book, Art ideas from the book, Discuss the main character or characters

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting book about family and dealing with loss.

[leepam_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this story. I was especially touched at the end when Lucky was finally able to accept her mother’s death. What a hard thing for anyone to go through… especially a child. The Higher Power of Lucky is about a little girl named Lucky who lives in a small desert town, Hard Pan, outside of Los Angeles and is searching for her higher power. She secretly listens in on 12 Step meetings and has read the 12 Step book in search of her higher power. She believes that when she finds it she will be able to determine the difference between the things that happen in her life that she can change and the things that she cannot change. Lucky lives with her father’s first wife Brigitte, who is from France, and her beloved dog, HMS Beagle. When Lucky was 8, her mother was electrocuted after a storm; when her father, whom she had never met because he never wanted children, found out her mother died, he called his first wife, Brigitte, to come be her guardian. She immediately agreed and moved to Hard Pan, California. Lucky knows that Brigitte loves her, but she also knows how much she misses France. Lucky is constantly worried that Brigitte is going to move back home to France. Lucky is best friends with Miles and Lincoln. Miles, who is younger than Lucky, loves cookies and the book Have You Seen My Mother?, and Lincoln is about her age and is obsessed with Knots. The three children love Hard Pan and the 43 residents of the town. One day Lucky finds a passport and paper work in Brigitte’s suitcase and thinks that she is going to move back to France, so she runs away. While she is trying to escape her life, she finds Miles who has come up missing during a dust storm. As the town is searching for Lucky and Miles, she begins to see things in a different light. When the town finds the two of them, Lucky thanks everyone for coming to her mother’s memorial service. She is finally able to spread the remains of her mother; she finally feels the presence of a higher power. That night she learns that Brigitte was trying to legally adopt her and open a French restaurant. She finally has the family that she longed for.

[dayehsensei · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first started reading this book I was disappointed enough to almost stop reading it. I thought, why did the author (Susan Patton) have to talk about a dog's scrotum, in various contexts, in the first chapter? At one point, Lucky even thinks to herself that she is glad to not have a scrotum-- but that she might like to see one. I would have a serious problem with my students and/or children at the target audience age (gr 5-8) reading this chapter. Imagine the discussions at home: "Mom, what's a scrotum?" etc. As soon as I moved on to the next chapter, I knew I had to keep reading. "The Higher Power of Lucky" is an incredibly unique, quirky tale about a young, 10-year-old girl who recently lost her mother and is thus put in the care of her estranged father's ex-wife Brigitte, from France. Lucky decides to runaway when she assesses that Brigitte is planning to return to France without her. What starts as a puzzling story, quickly turns into a funny and very deeply emotional one. All Lucky wants is a stable mother and a real childhood. She tries to find clues on how to achieve this by listening to adults talk about how they found their "Higher Power" in self help meetings; she also has a little help from her friends Miles and crush Lincoln. I absolutely loved this story, and can very much see why it was picked for the Newberry-- but I still have no idea why the "scrotum" sequence in the first chapter was necessary.

[cathygrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book that will stay with you forever. You will cry, and laugh; you will smile and frown. This book offers advice on many subjects, but mostly on the things you can change, and the things you can't.

[gayldashersmith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucky is a captivating character, all full of insecurities but plucky enough to take charge of her own life.