In this book by Cammie McGovern, Benny feels like he isn't good at anything, and it doesn't help that his new friend is a big time bragger. Benny feels like it is all his fault that his dad is in the hospital, so he is trying to help out his family, but it doesn't look like anyone is noticing. At school, he keeps trying to earn footprints for doing good deeds, but his teacher, who was supposed to be the best one ever, doesn't seem to be himself lately. Benny learns new things about himself, his family, and his teacher, in this wonderful book that has a very big message. I would recommend this to all elementary school readers.
Just My Luck
By Cammie McGovern
Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGovern's middle grade debut is a powerful and heartwarming story that will appeal to readers who loved R. J. Palacio's Wonder, Ann M. Martin's Rain Reign, and Holly Sloan's Counting by 7s.
Fourth grade is not going at all how Benny Barrows hoped. He hasn't found a new best friend. He's still not a great bike rider—even though his brother George, who's autistic, can do tricks. And worst of all, he worries his dad's recent accident might be all his fault. Benny tries to take his mom's advice and focus on helping others, and to take things one step at a time. But when his dad ends up in the hospital again, Benny doesn't know how he and his family will overcome all the bad luck that life seems to have thrown their way.
Just My Luck is a deeply moving and rewarding novel about a down-on-his-luck boy whose caring heart ultimately helps him find the strength to cope with tragedy and realize how much he truly has to offer his friends and family.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN-13: 9780062330666
ISBN-10: 0062330667
Published on 3/14/2017
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 256
Book Reviews (2)
Just my luck is a really special book. Cammie McGovern can actually make the character's descriptions with so much detail that you can really imagine what the characters look without any struggle. When Benny accidentally stops his bike to let a woman cross the track while he was biking, his dad bumped into the bike handle and now has a brain bleed. Benny can't keep thinking that it is his fault that now his dad is in a coma and doesn't remember anything. Worst of all, his dad is acting strange like a restless child. When Benny and his family picks up Benny's dad from the hospital, they arrive home. His dad starts writing a note on a post-it. Benny couldn't agree to the question. His dad wrote, "Want to go biking?". Benny ran and left his dad there, telling his mom that the incident happened while biking and Benny didn't want the incident to happen again. Benny's mom doesn't mind at all, knowing that for everything to be all right, Benny just needs to go along with the flow. The theme for this book is to never EVER give up on anyone, nor anything. Love is the most powerful thing that is in living Earth.