Author/Illustrator: Susan Patron/Matt Phelan
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2006
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Awards: ALA Newbery Medal; ALA Notable Children's Books; CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council); Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (VT); Kirkus Editor's Choice
Audience: Gr. 4+
Overview: This is a story of a little girl named Lucky, who believes her guardian, Brigitte, might be leaving her and go back to France. Since Lucky’s mother is dead and her father has abandoned her, Lucky believes that she is going to be an orphan. In order to avoid becoming an orphan, Lucky decides to run away. In the end, Lucky is being searched for by most of the town. When she is found, Lucky finally releases her mother’s ashes. After she returns home, Lucky learns Brigitte was not planning on leaving to go back to France, but she was planning on adopting Lucky to be her daughter.
Activity: Have students create a survival pack that they would take on an adventure into a storm. See what items each student finds essential to take along.
Reviewer’s Name: Becky Gray
