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?

When You Reach Me

"[W]hen all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say,'Wow ... cool.'" -- Kirkus Reviews

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me . New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Miranda and her best friend Sal have been walking the streets of New York City since they were young kids. Now, as sixth graders, they know where it's safe to walk and places they need to avoid. When Sal gets punched on the way home from school, he distances himself from Miranda. Left on her own, things start to unravel. The emergency key to her apartment is stolen, and she begins to receive anonymous letters. The letters inform her that in order to save Sal's life and the life of the writer, she must write him a letter. As more notes are discovered, Miranda realizes that the mysterious author knows everything about her life, even things that have yet to happen. Readers embark on a journey with Miranda as she tries to save Sal and the unknown writer.

Reading Level: 750L
Suggested Delivery: Small groups or independently

Electronic Resources:

Teaching Unit: This link will bring you to a webpage where you can purchase a CD containing an entire unit on When You Reach Me. The CD includes reading comprehension assessments, literature circle activities, board games, and vocabulary words. If you do not want to purchase the CD, you can download a preview of the materials to give you some ideas of how you can use the book in your classroom.

Reading Guide:  This teacher's edition reading guide gives you plenty of teaching ideas. It includes pre-reading activities, discussion questions, vocabulary words, and wrap-up activities. It also breaks the book up into chapters and has questions for each chapter. Because this is the teacher's edition, it has the answers to all activities, but students can be given student editions. This is a good reading guide because it asks several kinds of questions: literal, inferential, predictions, etc. It also has activities for students to complete before, during, and after reading.

Vocabulary: obstruct, omen, fundamental, scoured, dawning, doorman, "latchkey" kid

Reading Strategies:

• Before Reading: Discuss various genres of books. How do they differ. In particular, discuss what a mystery is. What makes a story a mystery? Have you read any mysteries before? How are they different from other genres?
• During Reading: As students progress through the book, have them write down things that Miranda does each day. Then have them write down things that they do everyday. Are there similarities/differences? Does the time we live in make a difference?
• After Reading: After reading the chapter about time travel, discuss the concept. Is it possible to time travel? Ask students to predict how time traveling will come into the plot of the book.

Inferential Comprehension: How does Miranda feel when she receives the letters? Explain. How would you feel if you received letters from a stranger who appeared to know everything about your life?