Stephenson Family Ties

Lucky Trimble crouched in a wedge of shade behind the Dumpster.

Her ear near a hole in the paint-chipped wall of Hard Pan's

Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center, she listened

as Short Sammy told the story of how he hit rock bottom. How he

quit drinking and found his Higher Power. Short Sammy's story,

of all the rock-bottom stories Lucky had heard at twelve-step

anonymous meetings--alcoholics, gamblers, smokers, and overeaters-

was still her favorite.

Sammy told of the day when he had drunk half a gallon of rum

listening to Johnny Cash all morning in his parked '62 Cadillac,

then fallen out of the car when he saw a rattlesnake on the

passenger seat biting his dog, Roy, on the scrotum.

from: The Higher Power of Lucky

by: Susan Patron

(the very first paragraph)

After having read the dark and twisted Bram Stoker classic, Dracula, I  am now happy to report that my "higher power" directed me to this insightful, light, and humorous read.  Young Adult fiction is never 'below me' so Im always  happy to intersperse  an award -winner onto my reading list.
The Higher Power of Lucky is charming to say the least, though not quite the perfect gem that I found Missing May to be....but its close!!
4 stars

Review for Powell Books:
"Patron's poignant Newbery-winning story about a girl who fears being abandoned by her legal guardian — and her only semblance of a family —sails along with believable childlike rhythms and kid's-eye-view observations. You will appreciate Patrons's subtlety and smooth, comforting dialouge in a heartbreaking scene in which 10-year-old Lucky recalls, with gentle support from her best friend, her deceased mother's memorial service. Susan Patron guides us into Lucky's world—populated by eccentric friends, the quirky townspeople of tiny, struggling Hard Pan, Calif.(pop. 43) — and Brigitte, the guardian she desperately wants to keep, maybe with some help from a Higher Power.