The Higher Power of Lucky was the 2007 Newbery Award Winner, and it was a unique take on one-horse-town life for an orphaned girl of ten. The whole premise of the book was completely far-out and if the characters hadn’t been so well-written and charming, it might have been more than a little sad even in spite of the happy ending.
Lucky was left motherless when her mom dies from stepping on a downed power line after a rain storm. Her dad is still alive, but out of the picture. He does, however, call his first wife to see if she’ll take care of Lucky. This is perhaps strage enough. What is even more strange is that the first wife, Bridgitte, agrees to do so, and that she comes all the way from France on the next flight to live in Hard Pan, population 43.
The picture the author paints of Hard Pan in this Newbery Award-winning book made me sad that anyone – even a fictional child – would have to live there, yet Lucky seems happy in Hard Pan. There are few paying jobs so most people live a strange existence, surviving on government-subsidized food. But Lucky has her friends, her guardian, her school, and a job she enjoys. Yet things start to change and she starts to fester when she thinks that Bridgitte is going to leave her after the two years she’s spent as her guardian, and go back to France.
The book unfolds only over the course of several days, but it takes Lucky through a range of emotions, and leads her to the conclusion to run away rather than be put in an orphanage. The journey that ensues is not your typical child-running-away-from-home montage but then again, The Higher Power of Lucky isn’t your ordinary book, and Lucky is no typical child!
The whole book is somewhat odd and fantastical, you’re not quite sure where the inspiration came from and you’re not sure if it’s meant to be taken seriously or just seen as a goofy yet engaging children’s book. I’m a city girl by upbringing, lifestyle and choice, so comprehending a town with population 43, where everyone eats government-subsidized food, and where people live in trailers and old water sheds is a bit difficult. But books are supposed to transport you to far-away places, so who’s to say these places have to be beautiful and exotic? The Higher Power of Lucky is a beautiful, simple and lovable book even if it doesn’t fit the settings and genres I’m used to!
