Your Books Review

Author: Susan Patron
Illustrator: Matt Phelan

The yellow cover is somehow eye-catching both for kids and adult. Although being awarded the 2007 Newbery Medal--the most prestigious award in children’s literature--, the book has raised a controversy. Some school librarians have even pledged to ban the book from elementary schools. The reason is because of the use of the word "scrotum" on its first page.

Synopsis:

Lucky, a ten-year-old girl, lives in Hard Pan, a desert township with a population of 43, where everyone receives government surplus and live in trailers or a water tank.

When Lucky's mother is electrocuted and dies after a storm, Brigitte, her dad's first wife, comes from France to take care of Lucky until a foster home can be found.

Lucky worries that Brigitte will decide to return to France; so to escape that situation, Lucky decides to run away with her faithful dog and her "survival backpack." This anxiety prompts Lucky to seek help from her "Higher Power", a notion she gets from eavesdropping at her town's 12-step meetings.

Unfortunately, Lucky leaves during a dust storm that becomes dangerous.

Label: children books