in my opinion, i don't really like it!

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!

Susan Patron's characters are very likable. Children will be able to see some of themselves in Lucky. The story meanders, but not terribly. I just don't get the fuss about the "s-word".