The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Unless you've been living under a rock these past few months, you've probably heard of this book (if not the title, at least the word "scrotum.") A book geared for middle grade readers, the author, Susan Patron, got a lot of flack from some communities for using this word in the first chapter, and an entire censorship debate ensued.

In the book, we follow ten-year-old Lucky and her dog, HMS Beagle (named after the ship Charles Darwin used for his scientific discoveries) from one adventure to the next in the desert town of Hard Pan, California. When Lucky's mother suddenly dies, she is sent to live with her father's first wife, Brigitte, who later becomes her legal guardian. This complicated relationship develops precisely because Lucky's father doesn't want her. The impact this has on Lucky can be seen in her attachment to eavesdropping on various twelve step meetings in order to find her "Higher Power" (the power that will explain her life), and in her survival kit backpack she takes with her everywhere in case there is an emergency. Ultimately, it is abandonment Lucky fears most, and when Brigitte talks of going back to her home country of France, Lucky must grow up quickly in order to take control of her own future.

While the subject matter in this book is heavy, Patron never makes the reader feel sorry for Lucky, or be too sad to want to read any more. The power here lies in Lucky's brave and quirky take on life, and in the way she recounts stories that any child overhears and wants to demystify. So when Lucky tells the story of a dog being bit by a snake on the scrotum, it is not indecent or obscene. Rather, it is a child observing and imitating the world around her that is made up of adults who talk about curious things. Censoring such occurrences not only does a disservice to the author, but assumes that kids aren't worthy of being told the truth about the world they live in. Patron's writing shines through clear and bright in this book (it is no coincidence it was a Newbery winner), and will make you wish for the days when you were ten and life seemed so magical, even when it was hard.

-Review by Andrea Deeken