Just My Luck

Name: Just My Luck
Brand: Harper Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Cammie McGovern
ISBN: 9780062417916

Author: Cammie McGovern

Narrator: Kirby Heyborne

Unabridged: 5 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 02/23/2016

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGovern's powerful and heartwarming middle grade novel will appeal to readers who loved R. J. Palacio's Wonder, Holly Sloan's Counting by 7s, and Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Fish in a Tree. ""This brave story, told with wry humor, is inspirational,"" raved Ann M. Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Rain Reign.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.

About Cammie McGovern

Cammie McGovern is the author of Say What You Will as well as the adult novels Neighborhood Watch, Eye Contact, and The Art of Seeing. Cammie is also one of the founders of Whole Children, a resource center that runs after-school classes and programs for children with special needs. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jamie on January 11, 2016

When it feels like everything is falling apart, Benny keeps going. Even when he doesn't want to he just has to keep going. This family is going through tons and it's really nice and refreshing to read a book about a kid who isn't really smart, or talented, or even special. He's just a kid. Except Mc......more

Goodreads review by LeeAnne on October 23, 2016

"My mom has a theory that when bad things happen [to you], you should think about someone else's problems and try to help them." That's how Benny, our narrator, opens up this book, Just My Luck. This is a story about the struggles that Benny's family has while he is in 4th grade. Benny has an autist......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on December 19, 2015

This book is the perfect example of why I love middlegrade novels so much. I feel like they're tackling all these really hard issues but doing it in a way where they're accessible to children. (Because it's not just teenagers and adults that horrible things happen to.) I can't even imagine the skill......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on September 09, 2015

Highly reminiscent of Lisa Graff's outstanding Absolutely Almost, Just My Luck is the story of a young for his age fourth grade boy wrestling with the guilt and worry he feels surrounding his father's aneurysm. Benny struggles in just about every area of his life; he is not academically gifted, has......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on February 23, 2016

Of the many trends in middle grade and YA fiction right now, autism and stories about family struggles are leading the way. Just My Luck is one of the better ones that covers these trends, and deserves a lot of attention. This is mostly about Benny, who finds a new best friend but also has to deal wi......more