Skip to main content

Just My Luck

By

Just My Luck
by Cammie McGovern
Harper, 2016.  228 p  Fiction

     Benny Barrows' mother has always told him that when he is having a hard time he should look for something who is having worse luck than he is, and try to help that person.  Trouble is, since his father had to have surgery for a burst aneurysm in his brain, Benny can't think of anyone who has had worse luck than his family. Adding to his unhappiness, his favorite teacher, Mr. Norris, has become depressed and distracted so nothing fun is happening at school. He has to leave class each day to go to Special Ed with a mostly-blind girl named Olga, and he never gets a footprint on the school's Pathway to Kindness, even though he is daily caring for his autistic brother George and in every way treating others with decency and respect. Fortunately, almost all Benny's "friends" that he thinks are being nice to him because they feel sorry for him turn out to be real friends who pull together at a fundraiser to help his mom pay his dad's medical bills. Benny is a fine little fourth-grade narrator who learns much from a difficult year, especially that "Everyone has bad days. You have to make good ones."
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Mixed-Up Owl

By
The Mixed-Up Owl  Written by Marzena Sowa Illustrated by Joanna Lorno New York : Hippo Park, 2025. Picture Book. When Owl can't sleep at night, he heads off to see if any forest animals can help him understand why, and even more so, how to fix it!  Unfortunately, all the animals Owl runs into at night are asleep and all the animals he meets during the day are too rude or too busy to answer him.  Will Owl give up or will a chance meeting with a grumpy hedgehog provide all the solutions Owl was looking for? The premise of an owl trying to stay awake during the day because all the other animals around him do is very fun. Kids who know that owls are nocturnal will get a kick out of Owl's confusion and be quick to try to tell him what's going on.  Readers who don't know many facts about owls (or nocturnal animals in general) will get a brief introduction to the different ways animals sleep. The illustrations are charming, especially cute Owl and his expressive body langua...
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Be A World Traveller

By Suzanne
Real Castles Around the World Written by Kaitlyn Duling Vero Beach, Florida : Rourke Educational Media, 2025. Informational. 48 pages Take a trip around the world as you read about the most impressive castles ever built! Explore fierce fortresses, castles that have inspired stories, uniquely colorful castles, and the history behind them all as you Travel to Real Castles Around the World! Part of the Travel to Children s Book Series, this 48-page nonfiction book explores castles both past and present, the kings that inhabited them, and knights that fought to protect them! Lower the drawbridge, cross the moat, and travel to real castles from all around the world as you learn about our magical history with fun-filled facts and vibrant photos. History Book Features: Before- and after-reading activities. Extension activity. Glossary About Rourke Educational Media: We proudly publish respectful and relevant nonfiction and fiction titles that represent our diverse readers, and are designed to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Grounded for All Eternity

By
Grounded for All Eternity By Darcy Marks New York : Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2022. Fiction. 375 pgs. Malachi, Crowley, and Lilith are just your average, normal, middle-school kids. That is, if you consider living in the suburbs of Hell and having black feathered wings normal. They want to enjoy their school free vacation, but Hell is on lock down after the soul of Reverend Samuel Paris, leader of the 1693 Salem witch trials, escapes. Malachi and his friends travel to Earth, looking for some fun, but accidentally bring the Reverend's soul with them to modern day Salem, Massachusetts. Chaos ensues, and Malachi meets many new types of characters, such as witches, angels, and humans. Malachi and his friends must work together to return Reverend Sam's soul to Hell, or else all of Salem will be destroyed. Or worse, be grounded for all eternity.  Read this book for the ultimate Halloween experience, and if you want to revisit the ...
Post a Comment
Read more