MMGM- Lucky Enough

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.



Bowen, Fred. Lucky Enough
March 1st 2018 by Peachtree Publishers
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

Trey is very reliant on his good luck charm; a piece of deep blue sea glass that his grandmother game him before she passed away. He is sure it's what helps him to make the tryouts for the Ravens, a travel baseball team. Things are a little rough in Trey's world, since his parents divorced when he was five, and he and his mother sometimes struggle to make ends meet. He does have an Uncle Dave who occasionally visits, and he often hangs out with his friend Cole's family, so he has lots of support. When he loses his lucky charm, he starts to worry. He and Cole search everywhere, and even ask the groundskeeper, Mr. Kiley, if he has seen it. Mr. Kiley opines that it is possible to make one's own luck through hard work and practice, so Trey throws himself into a regimen to help improve his game.

It's touching that Trey has fond memories of his grandmother, and interesting that more light is shed on her interactions with him by his mother. There is a sign from the grandmother's beach house hanging in Trey's kitchen that says "If you're lucky enough to live near the sea, you're lucky enough", but Trey didn't remember how hard his grandmother had to work in order to end up in that beach house. He is given a new appreciation for both her and his philosophy after losing his lucky charm.

Many students are  not living with their fathers, for a variety of reasons, and it's good to see that reflected in literature. While it's difficult at times, Trey does have other supportive adults in his life and manages to enjoy time with his mother.

As always, Bowen's sports details are exquisite and even include rosters, score sheets, and other facets that I don't even begin to understand. The brief chapter at the end about famous ball players and their superstitions was very interesting and might lead readers to research some of these players.

Readers who aren't quite ready for Mike Lupica and Tim Green but need a bit more meat to their stories that those by David A. Kelly or Claudia Mills will enjoy Bowen's books, which are definitely a new millennium replacement for the much beloved but increasingly dated Matt Christopher titles.