the higher power of lucky

“Lucky is a true heroine.” -- Booklist

Patron, S. (2006). The higher power of Lucky . New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Ten year old Lucky  is in search of her "higher power," a term she heard while eavesdropping on various twelve-step programs held in her town. After searching high and low in her town of Hard Pan, she decides the only way she can find it is by running away. After all, running away is better than becoming an orphan. Lucky is convinced that her guardian, Brigitte, is going to abandon Lucky and go back to France. Lucky fears she will be left at some orphanage without her friends or HMS Beagle, her dog. Running away will beat Brigitte to the punch, but Lucky was not planning on encountering a dust storm. Now she is stranded in the desert with Miles and a survival kit. Will she ever escape and find her higher power?

Reading Level: 1010L
Suggested Delivery: Independent read

Electronic Resources:

Author Time: In this video, students get to meet the author of the higher power of lucky, Susan Patron. She discusses various elements of the book.

Discussions: This webpage gives a brief summary of the book, as well as several discussion topics. These questions can be used in group discussions or answered individually. It also discusses many themes found within the book.

Vocabulary: steambed, anchored, anonymous, hypnotized, urn, hinged, 12-step program

Reading Strategies:

• Before Reading: Use an anticipation guide to introduce family dynamics. After the students complete the anticipation guide, hold a discussion about family dynamics. Who makes up your family? What is everyone's role in your family? Lucky lives with her guardian, Brigitte. Does that change anything?
• During Reading: Students will use split-page note taking. On one side of the page, they will record what Lucky keeps in her emergency pack, and on the other, they will write what they would keep in their emergency pack. They will then write a paragraph discussing the similarities and differences between the two packs. Why do the differences exist? Does it have to do with where you live and where Lucky lives?
• After Reading: Students will write a script to a book talk about the higher power of lucky. They will then record their book talk and upload it to a cloud that the teacher has set up. Once all the book talks have been dropped into the cloud, the students can present their project. In order to prevent repetitiveness, assign each student or group of students one aspect of the book to discuss in their book talk.

Inferential Comprehension: What is Lucky's higher power? How do you know?