Lucky

Reviewed by Avni Gupta (age 15) for Reader Views (7/08) When I saw the cover to the book "Lucky," I knew that I was in for something amazing; just how amazing, I didn't know at that time. "Lucky" is about Phoebe Avery, a normal popular girl graduating middle school. She has everything, the coolest clothes, the prettiest friends, the best sister, and the most amazing luck. All of this changes one day when Phoebe comes home on a Wednesday and finds her mother in the kitchen. This is a very bad sign. Phoebe's mother is never home before dinner. There is something very, very wrong here. When Phoebe's older sisters get home, Phoebe asks them about it and they tell her the bad news. Their mom's company was going through a rough time and they would not have as much money as they used to. This is bad for Phoebe because she is about to have the hottest party with her best friends and things like that don't come cheaply. The next thing she knows, Phoebe is lying to her friends, lying to her parents and even lying to herself to make things seem like they're all better. Then she realizes that doing that won't help her. I think that this book was an amazing book for anybody who has ever felt like they haven't gotten what they wanted or their life wasn't as good as they wanted it to be. I think that this book gives perspective to people about how some live their lives. This book is also a good read if you think that your friends aren't really good friends. It shows you that even if your friends don't seem like they care, in the end they will always be there for you and help you out when you are in trouble. "Lucky" by Rachel Vail is also about the importance of family. If Phoebe didn't have her sisters, she would not have been able to get through the things that she did. Her sisters, Quinn and Allison, were always there for her and were like her rock. I'm looking forward to the other two books in this series, because they are written from the point of view of Phoebe's sisters.

Eighth-grader Phoebe Avery knows she's lucky. She lives in a luxurious development and has a backyard pool, a housekeeper, a nanny and the freedom to simply throw out a tea kettle or a toaster when it goes on the fritz. Phoebe also has a great family. Her father is a humble kindergarten teacher, and her beautiful, high-powered mother's financial job funds the family's super-comfortable lifestyle. Her two older sisters, Quinn and Allison, have lives of their own, but they're almost always available when their little sister needs them. Phoebe also has four excellent friends. Sure, her best friend Kirstyn can be bossy and spoiled at times, but they've been close for four years, and they're looking forward to taking high school by storm. Together, Phoebe and her friends are planning the biggest, best, most glamorous middle school graduation party (lots of) money can buy. So what if the custom invitations, live band, photographer, food and decorations cost a fortune? Phoebe's parents have never talked about money, and Phoebe knows that anything she wants --- including money for a party or that perfect green party dress --- is hers for the asking. That is, until her mother is abruptly fired following a series of bad investment decisions at her job. Phoebe doesn't really understand what her mom did --- all she knows is that when her mom's credit cards get declined and they have to start laying off household staff, her family might actually have to start thinking, and talking, about money after all. To add to the stresses at home, Phoebe's mom's check for the party deposit bounces, leaving her with a tough decision: should she air her family's dirty laundry in front of her friends, or should she find some other way to get out of the party --- even if it means ruining her friendship with Kirstyn? Can Phoebe turn her luck around --- and find out what being fortunate really means? Rachel Vail's new book, LUCKY, is a refreshing antidote to the many recent novels uncritically celebrating the self-indulgent, glamorous and totally over-the-top lifestyles of elite adolescents. In exploring what happens when one of those financially favored teens has to make a change for the poorer, she also touches on how young adults view their own roles within the family and how they rely on their parents for emotional reassurance and ethical guidance (not to mention financial security) even as they work to achieve independence. LUCKY is the first book in a planned trilogy, each of which will focus on one of the daughters in the Avery family. Since readers just get glimpses of Allison and Quinn's lives, they will likely return enthusiastically to spend more time with the Averys, to learn how this lively, loving family continues to cope with change, and to discover how each of the Avery girls (dubbed "the Valkyries" by their mother) will find her own path. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This was a surprisingly good book. When I first started it, I thought I was reading some middle school version of Gossip Girls with all of its talk of who likes whom and who found the best dress to wear to the party. It made me question if I would finish it, but I thought, hey, if Meg Cabot recommended this book there has to be something good in there. And about half way through I began seeing it. This isn't a book about shallow girls finding shallow things to talk about. It's about seemingly shallow girls finding depth in friendship. It's about how we all have those moments of a total breakdown in communication that make us make fools of ourselves. It's about growing up and growing apart and coming back together in the end. While the market is kind of flooded with books about girls and friendship, these books are needed. They help us (and especially teenage girls) realize we are not alone in the things we deal with. And no matter how small or trivial seeming our struggles are, they are real to us and they change us.

Phoebe Avery is about to graduate from middle school, and she couldn't be more thrilled. But it's mostly the graduation party that she's excited about, because it's a chance to be with her best friends having fun in a fabulous dress. But something goes wrong. It turns out that Phoebe's mother has lost her job. Now the family is in a financial crisis. Phoebe can no longer afford to pay her share for the party. She's too embarrassed to tell her friends her economic situation. Even though she's been friends with these girls since elementary school, she doesn't quite trust them completely, especially her friend Kirstyn, who seems even more self-centered than usual. Phoebe isn't very close to her two older sisters, so she can't really confide in them. Her parents are too stressed out. To top that off, she's not quite sure if she like likes Luke. Phoebe has no one to turn to. She needs to stick it out by herself. When I first read the summary for Lucky, I thought that it was going to be another book like Gossip Girl, but I was wrong. The summary says that there is a "family scandal," but I thought that a rich family losing money was hardly scandalous, though that is just my opinion. I was actually glad that Lucky wasn't one of those shallow teenager books, and it was a refreshing read. Lucky was a thoroughly enjoyable book for me even though it would be better for the middle school crowd. Phoebe's character is funny, and while she isn't extremely deep, she isn't shallow either. It was easy to sympathize with her. The ending was a little too cheesy for my taste, but I appreciated that Phoebe was making amends with her family, friends, and potential boyfriend. I was glad that Phoebe could find her inner strength. My overall favorite part was the references to a gorgeous green Vera Wang dress that is displayed on the cover because of its symbolism. I definitely recommend this novel to all young readers. I also look forward to more books from Rachel Vail, especially more from the Avery sisters. [...]

Phoebe, the youngest of the Avery sisters, is graduating from middle school. Her life seems perfect. She and her four best friends will be having the party of the year, she has an eye on the perfect dress, and the promise of high school's new beginnings. But when Phoebe's mom starts acting weird, and her friends start alienating her, the perfect conclusion to her eighth-grade year is at stake. Can Phoebe pull it together and do what's right, even if it means swallowing her pride and forgoing what she wants most? LUCKY is the wholly enjoyable first novel in Rachel Vail's new trilogy. Phoebe is a nicely relatable narrator who nearly anyone can empathize with. Her problems are those that we've all faced at one time or another, reminding us once again that you don't have to have to be privileged to be able to solve them with your dignity intact. Witty and engaging, by the time this coming-of-age story is spun, you'll feel truly lucky to read it. Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader