I thought thi book, The Higher Power of Lucky, is a wonderful book! It's Funny, has good characters, and it has a goo theme! It teaches kids a good moral to remeber, and its hilarious! And theres nothing really bad for the use of the inaporpreate word, they just use it to say where a dog was bit.
Tools for this page
The Higher Power of Lucky
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9. -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
Newbery winner is delicate, humorous, poignant.
updated 07.04.08
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 9 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
-
Violence :
-
Sex :
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Higher Power of Lucky
Parents need to know that the main character's mother was electrocuted by a downed power line, and her father has abandoned her. There are several discussions of a dog's scrotum (which led to the banning of this book by some school libraries) and references to smoking, drinking, and marijuana.
Read our full review by Matt Berman
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about Lucky's "meanness gland." Why are even good people sometimes mean? Why does Lucky sometimes like being mean? Do you ever feel this way? What do you do about it?
Want more? Get Common Sense recommendations delivered to your inbox.
You are now subscribed to the Common Sense weekly newsletter!
To write reviews and create a public profile, complete your account set-up here.
Our Members Say
See all 9 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
Lives in CaliforniaI rate this title on for age 11 and give itA wonderful Book!
- Lives in CaliforniaI rate this title on for age 9 and give it
A beautiful story for higher thinkers
My son and I read this together for a book reprot in forth grade. Despite the lack of action, we were both drawn into the plight of a little girl whose life feels so precarious that she turns to the twelve steps to regain a sense of power over her fate. The themes of loss, insecurity, community and identity are simply rendered in a way that my young son had no problem identifying the importance of a higher power for us all. I thought this book was lovely and profound and have reccomended it to adult readers as well as children. Ignore the fuss over the anatomic language in the first chapter and if your really concerend, read the book first before you give it to your child (a practice I reccommend with any book regardless of the awards it receives.) Good luck and good reading!
- Lives in CaliforniaI rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
its iffy
in my opinion, i don't really like it!
- Lives in NebraskaI rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Unique at its finest
Great escape to another social culture yet simular dilemmas of today's children.
- Lives in OhioI rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.
Already a member? Log in
Our Members Rate It
Have You Read It? 
For Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
