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Summary
Summary
Believing that her French guardian is about to abandon her to an orphanage in the city, ten-year-old Lucky runs away from her small town with her beloved dog by her side in order to trek across the Mojave Desert in this Newbery Medal-winning novel from Susan Patron.
Lucky, age ten, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has.
It's all Brigitte's fault -- for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. She'll have to lose her friends Miles, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, future U.S. president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Just as bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own -- and quick.
But she hadn't planned on a dust storm.
Or needing to lug the world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert.
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Ten-year-old Lucky lives in Hard Pan, California, a tiny enclave on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert. Her legal guardian is beautiful, melancholy Frenchwoman Brigitte, the first wife of Lucky's absentee father. Lucky is one of few people in her community of forty-three to have a paying job in town, cleaning up after various ""Anonymous"" meetings held at the Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center. As she eavesdrops on the participants' stories of redemption, she wonders how to find her own ""higher power."" When Lucky becomes convinced that Brigitte is planning to go back to France, her cathartic running-away into a desert windstorm allows her to come to terms with her mother's death, as well as prove to herself a compassion she's afraid she lacks. Author Patron's tale of a grieving, insecure little girl is never heavy-handed or maudlin, due in part to quiet bursts of humor. Quirky supporting characters include future presidential hopeful and knot artist Lincoln Clinton Carter Kennedy, Lucky's best friend; and recovering alcoholic/hippie/cowboy Short Sammy. The book's brief chapters reflect the cyclical, episodic nature of life in Hard Pan, while meandering yet meticulously crafted sentences illustrate Lucky's natural curiosity and the importance of storytelling in her life. Patron's sensory descriptions of Hard Pan and the surrounding desert, supported by Phelan's gentle spot art, animate this unique community. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
The facts of Lucky's life in Hard Pan, Calif. (population 43), scarcely qualify her as "lucky." One parent is dead and the other disinterested. Her future with her unemployed French guardian Brigitte, who was tricked into caring for her, feels uncertain. When Lucky discovers that Brigitte is taking an online course in restaurant management from Paris, she anticipates being abandoned. To find her higher power and take control of her life, Lucky runs away in a dust storm, hoping to cause worry, sadness and a change of Brigitte's heart. Potential disaster leads to Lucky's discovery that Brigitte loves her, which helps her come to terms with her mother's death. The plot is not what elevates Lucky's memorable story. Hard Pan may be lightly populated, but every soul is uniquely unforgettable, from 5-year-old Miles, shameless cookie hustler, to Lincoln, serious knot-tying addict. Readers will gladly give themselves over to Patron, a master of light but sure characterization and closely observed detail. A small gem. (Fiction. 9-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
