Lucky Breaks

By Susan Patron
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

In this sequel to the award-winning The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky is about to turn 11 and she feels like she's on the brink of something new. She also feels a bit annoyed by her best friend Lincoln, who is always constant and true and knotting some mysterious object. Besides, he is a BOY, and how can you be best friends with a BOY at the age of 11? Then Paloma, a girl just her age, eats at Brigitte's cafe, and the pair instantly bond. Can it be coincidence that Paloma has the same name as the woman in a tragic story who lost half of a beautiful brooch in one of the mining wells in the desert? Mustn't it be ordained to go looking for the other half of that brooch with Paloma? As Lucky approaches her birthday weekend, she finds growing older comes with some growing pains about who she is, who her friends are, and the need to face some uncomfortable emotions. It is definitely a pleasure to become reacquainted with Lucky and the residents of Hard Pan, and fans of the first book will be pleased.