The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky written by Susan Patron is a book about a girl named Lucky. Her mother died when she was eight-years-old when she accidently stepped on a power line that had fallen during a storm. Through complicated circumstances her father's first wife comes to take care of Lucky  in the little town of Hard Pan, California, population 43.

Lucky regularly cleans where the different AA groups meet, and she listens to their stories secretly. What really draws her in is that they say they hit rock bottom before they found their Higher Power. Lucky really wants to know how she can reach her Higher Power but she doesn't know how. But what she worries about most is that her Guardian, Brigitte, wants to return to France and leave Lucky. When Lucky sees papers and that Brigitte is getting a liscence to open a restuarant, Lucky thinks that Brigitte is going to return to France. Feeling that his is her rock bottom, Lucky decides to run away to make Brigitte realize how much she loves Lucky. 

This story is one that many kids who are in the system and have foster families can relate to. It tells the story of a girl who lost her mother, and whose father doesn't want anything to do with her. She gets a new foster mother, but she is afraid that Brigitte doesn't love her enough or maybe she misses France more. A lot of foster kids question if they'll ever get adopted and if their foster parents really do love them. 

The illustrations in this story are simple, black and white, but they are perfectly placed and expressive. They give just enough detail to help the reader truly envision the characters and the different parts and details of the story. 

I would recommend this book to probably 3rd or 4th graders. It is a good book to discuss vocabluary, as well as looking into child-parent relations.