Laura's Luck

This book meant so much to me when I was young. I, too, was a bookworm and I identified so strongly with Laura. This book helped me feel better and more accepting of myself. I enjoyed it over and over, and remember it vividly. Here I am, forty years later, looking for a copy!

I read my copy until the cover tore off. Lots of fun summer adventures!!! Very realistic even though it's a bit dated (it takes place in the 1940's)- bunk bully, homesickness, friendships, trials and tribulations of a first time camper. I highly recommend it.

The trilogy of Amy and Laura books were my absolute favorite when I was a kid. I read and reread them until my copies were destroyed and falling apart. Whenever I want to revisit my childhood and escape into a simpler and better time, I pull out my copies I have bought as an adult and read them again. I can not explain why these books created such an impression but you just have to read them to know. I recommend all mothers of pre-teen girls to go out and buy these wonderful books that are back in print.

Give me a beach chair, blue sky, calm rushing waves and - most importantly - the exact book fair gray Apple paperback bearing "Laura's Luck" and an illustration of girls around a campfire except for two just talking (one Laura, no doubt)-and I am TOTALLY free. This book was my absolute "fave" back in elementary school and junior high. Who needs hard books when you've got Marilyn Sachs's story of a girl struggling to like Camp Tiorati, THE camp for city children in the 40s'? While most kids now reading Marilyn Sachs will never hear of this book plainly because of the fact (sadly) it's out-of-print, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and unfortunately as soon as I bought it: it would soon be out of print. Don't ask me how: I just had a thing for this book. I would loan it to my friend, who would in turn loan it to someone else. My entire 5B year I worried who could have my book at the moment. I got it back. Since then I promised "I'll never loan you, Laura" (I told you I loved it too much! ) But all in all I still I have that book fair copy. Too good to be true!

THis book is different from the other two books in the series in that it takes place in the country at a camp instead of the Bronx. Sisters Amy and Laura, following a terrible accident and a family emergency, wind up at summer camp (for like, ALL SUMMER! 8 weeks! WHOOA! Good Lord: what a nightmare!) I had a sad camping experience as a kid and like Laura, i was a quiet bookworm who was close to my folks and hated summer camp. It freaked me out to think of being sent to camp for that long since i could not even handle 1 week when i went! I read this book at age 11 when my social life spun out of control. I became very insecure about a lot of things and could relate to Laura. However, i think Laura was, well, sort of a crybaby. I didn't like the way she was always down on herself (then again, i guess i did the same thing to myself at that age) and i didn't like the way she complained about her braces; I mean, she should be thankful for what she's got. Braces are expensive and I wanted them bad at her age and was happy to get them; they are worth the money and pain. Also, my dad says when he was a kid in the 1940's they didn't normally put braces on kids. I think Laura should have considered herself lucky that she was on the way to having straight pretty teeth and not gripe about it, but I guess braces in the 40's were retched-looking compared to now so I don't know. There are a few parts in this book that irritated me. I thought that Laura and her other bunkmates let that chick Betty (an annoying character) push them around too much. I would'nt have. But it shows you how peer pressure works among kids, and all in all it's a neat book and I really would'nt change a thing about it, and in the end the author ties up all the loose ends and Laura is a more confident young lady who made a true friend, Anne, and some other friends. Interesting thing to note: the Apple Paperback copies of these books have no illustrations but when I was in grade school the school library carried hardback copies of the three Amy and Laura books and they were illustrated!