Lucky Strike – a Review

Luck is defined as the things that happen to a person because of chance.  It is the accidental way things happen without being planned.  Nate Harlow believes in luck, only he believes that all of his luck is bad.  I mean, he always burns his toast.  His birthday wishes never come true, and he can never blow out the flames on his birthday candles.  Could his luck get any worse?

His best friend, Genesis Beam, doesn’t believe in luck, good or bad.  She believes in science, the law of probability, and saving the loggerhead turtles.  And since she doesn’t believe in bad luck, she has Nate help her save the turtles.  After all, his help will only be good for the turtles, not bad.

Then on his eleventh birthday on the eleventh of April, he gets a birthday present he really doesn’t expect.  He is struck by lightning.  I’m not sure many of us would consider this a good birthday present.  I wouldn’t consider it lucky at all.  But this shocking event changes Nate’s life.

Once out of the hospital, he makes a discovery: his luck has changed.  His toast no longer burns.  The kids don’t make fun of him anymore.  Bad things seem to have quit happenig to him..  It is like he has turned into King Midas, only instead of everything he touches turning into gold, it turns into something good.  Did the lightning striking him really change his luck?

Nate’s turn of luck puts his friendship with Gen to the test when the popular kids begin to use Nate as their lucky charm.  But can too much good luck be a bad thing?

Bobbie Pyron wrote this book for children ages 8-12, but I believe that people of all ages would enjoy this book.  Her creative analogies made me laugh out loud.  I have loaned my copy of this book to my nine-year-old grandson to read.  Once he has finished it, I will add his thoughts about the book to this review.

If you are looking for an book that will teach your children the meaning of true friendship, this could be book you are looking for.  I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  If you would like your own copy, I have provided an Amazon link below.

Amazon link: Lucky Strike

Favorite Sentences:
My copy of Lucky Strike is an unedited proof, so it is possible the sentences below will appear differently in the final copy.

Anyone in Paradise Beach would tell you that if one of their 313 residents was going to be struck by lightning – struck out of the clear blue sky on his birthday – that person would be Nathaniel Harlow.

He paid no attention as Jinx Malloy grinned like a cat about to eat a wingless canary.

Her heart was as heavy as the Beam family Bible locked away in her great-grandmother’s cedar chest.

She understood advanced physics and the finer points of trigonometry, but she would never understand the workings of people’s emotions.

Her white stockinged legs stuck out like pipe cleaners beneath her faded flowered dress.

New Words Learned:
anemometer – an instrument for measuring the force or speed of the wind

ecumenical – involving people from different kinds of Christian churches

pompano – a food fish that occurs along the coasts of the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico having a narrow body and forked tail

vagaries  – erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestations, actions, or notions

About the Author:
Bobbie was born in Hollywood, Florida and spent her growing up years up in the panhandle, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and dreaming of being a mermaid.  She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, and a Masters degree in Library Science, and has worked as a librarian for over twenty-five years.

Her first book, a novel for teens titled The Ring (WestSide Books), was published in October of 2009. Her second book, A Dog’s Way Home (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books), was published to starred reviews in March of 2011. The Dog Writers Association of America recently awarded Bobbie the Maxwell Medal of Excellence and the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award.  It was also named a Banks Street Best Books of the Year.

Her book, The Dogs of Winter (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), came out October of 2012. The Dogs of Winter is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Kirkus Best 100 Children’s Books of the Year. Bobbie lives in Park City, Utah with her husband, two dogs, and two cats.

Bobbie’s Website.