ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD LUCKY adores Miles—a cookie fiend, genius, and the closest she’s got to a little brother. But when Miles’s mothe...
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reviews
Oct 25, 2011
Leslie
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I love the way this children's books author believes children have brains they can actually operate themselves.
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Few dare in Children’s Literature like Susan Patron does, and I really think they should. Lucky’s Hard Pan Trilogy ends even more provocatively than it began; which, you may recall, was quite controversial. Can a Children’s Book use the word “scrotum,” let alone use it on the first page?! This was the worry with the 2007 Newbery Award-Winner The Higher Pow More...
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Few dare in Children’s Literature like Susan Patron does, and I really think they should. Lucky’s Hard Pan Trilogy ends even more provocatively than it began; which, you may recall, was quite controversial. Can a Children’s Book use the word “scrotum,” let alone use it on the first page?! This was the worry with the 2007 Newbery Award-Winner The Higher Pow More...
Sep 11, 2011
Eva
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If you lived in Hard Pan, who would you be? Are you a creative and thrifty Short Sammy type, living in a water tank? Or are you more like Klincke Ken, who can fix anything and has a fondness for cats and donkeys? Perhaps you're more like sociable Dot, who operates the only beauty salon in town or the Captain, who holds the only steady job with benefits that exists in Hard Pan (postmaster).
Myself, I'd be Mrs. Prender, grandma of the smart-and-sweet 6-year-old Miles and mom of Miles More...
Myself, I'd be Mrs. Prender, grandma of the smart-and-sweet 6-year-old Miles and mom of Miles More...
Aug 31, 2011
Anastasia
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Lucky is back, and she has some hard questions. Like, why is Miles' mother Justine obsessed with the Bible? Does Miles have to give up his beliefs about dinosaur origins and primate hominids now that he's found Jesus? Did Charles Darwin go to heaven? Why doesn't her father want anything to do with her? Will junior high be full of bullies? Will Lincoln understand how much she will miss him when he goes to live with a master knot-tyer in England? What does Justine want to do with hundreds of owl p
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Feb 10, 2012
Josiah
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When a journey like the Hard Pan trilogy ends, after years of investment on the part of readers in the characters and the particulars of their lives, I think that the final book usually carries a bit more emotional weight than most stand-alone novels. In this case, I've been reading about Lucky for several years, faithfully obtaining a copy of each new book in the trilogy upon its publication, so for me this is more than just a nice, lovely story coming to a close. Lucky's odyssey tow More...
Sep 03, 2011
Ramarie
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Another lovely book to put a bow on the package that is the Hard Pan trilogy. I am sorry to say goodbye to these characters and their diverse personalities. In this final book, there are several satisfying resolutions and hints at hope and love ahead. Lucky learns more about her father and her biological family tree. There's a surprisingly bold Christian thread running through Miles's relationship with his born-again mother. What I so like about these books is their description of problems/
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Jan 05, 2012
John
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Lucky's summer before starting Middle School, billed as the last in the series but there's nothing in particular that makes it so except authorial fiat.
Like both of its predecessors, it's a series of linked but distinct sets of small incidents, each of which mirrors some great insight or truth. In the hands of lesser authors this would result in a set of didactic Teachable Moments--but Patron has both a gently comic tone and a sure hand with nuances of character, so the messages are d More...
Like both of its predecessors, it's a series of linked but distinct sets of small incidents, each of which mirrors some great insight or truth. In the hands of lesser authors this would result in a set of didactic Teachable Moments--but Patron has both a gently comic tone and a sure hand with nuances of character, so the messages are d More...
Sep 22, 2011
Melinda
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I had no idea that this book existed until I saw it on the library's book shelf. Having already read the first two, I was enticed to finish the trilogy. Though I liked the other two volumes better, I still found this to be a cute story - not as much action as the prior two, but some needed completion. I equally liked how the town of Hard Pan banded together to help Brigette save her cafe, how Lucky was "sentenced" to research her family tree, and how Lucky and Paloma continue to be
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Sep 02, 2011
Robin
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Bravo Susan Patron for not being afraid to tackle sensitive subjects like evolution and religion. Patron accomplishes this feat believably through her characters, without giving easy answers. I also appreciated this book for giving readers a real sense of what a family is -- how many different forms that can take. And how it can change over time. Lucky learns more about her father and her family and becomes more secure in her friendships . . . really finding her place. A worthy conclusion to the
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Nov 16, 2011
Sarah
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The final volume in the Hard Pan trilogy, I found this one kept the spirit of the series. Lucky is very much come into her own in this one - she searches for the truth about her family, learns some complicated things about relationships, and helps Brigitte keep the cafe running. This is a really sweet and lovely series overall. I very much enjoyed it, but am glad Patron didn't make it go on forever. I think the three books allow readers to watch Lucky grow up and mature just enough to feel satis
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Oct 05, 2011
Katie
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I'm sad to see this wonderful trilogy come to an end, but for the most part, I think it's been given a nice send-off. At times, I felt like it tried to wrap up too much in too small a space, particularly regarding Lucky's father and his relatives, and I was somewhat put off by the romantic overtones starting to appear in Lucky and Lincoln's friendship. That said, though, the exploration of the relationship between religion and science was an interesting one, which made references back to Lucky's
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Aug 04, 2011
Virginia
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This is the last in the Hard Pan trilogy, and all of our favorite residents of that desert town make appearances. I will miss these children and the adults who care about them. I would love to know how Miles reconciles his dogged scientific mind with his mother's fundamental Christianity and whether Lucky and Lincoln's childhood romance lasts. Will Ollie be a rival for Lucky's affections? What about Brigitte and the smitten geologist? It's hard to say goodbye.
Dec 13, 2011
Tei
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An amazing ending to the Hard Pan trilogy. Miles's mom is released from prison, Paloma visits over the weekend with her Hollywood parents, Ollie gets in a fight with Lucky, Lincoln - as usual - saves Lucky from danger, and Lucky, well, she's as lucky as usual. But it seems there is tension in the air with all of this happening. Lucky gets into trouble as usual, and there are still reactants from the trouble she got into in the last book. Lincoln won the Knot contest with his present to Lucky, so
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Sep 02, 2011
Martha
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Great book! The convoluted and confusing thought processes of this fifth-grade girl all come together perfectly to ease her into the next stage of her life, knowing she is appreciated and cherished by those around her. I appreciate how those feelings don't come easy for this tom-boy who would rather be collecting bug specimens than anything else. But everyone needs to figure out how to grow up, and it looks like Lucky is about to do that.
Oct 17, 2011
Elizabeth
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There are many changes in store for Lucky in her final book. Bridgette's cafe might be closed, Mile's mother is back, and Lucky's about to learn more about her father. On top of all that it's the summer before she enters junior high. What's a girl to do, but gather her courage and hope her higher power will see her through.
This is a lovely conclusion to the Lucky books, bringing in new story lines while also bringing closure. Lucky remains the same plucky girl as she struggles to nav More...
This is a lovely conclusion to the Lucky books, bringing in new story lines while also bringing closure. Lucky remains the same plucky girl as she struggles to nav More...
Oct 10, 2011
Lessa
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I'm not a huge Lucky fan, so I read this mostly just to say that I finished the series. While I thought it was good, as with the others, some things were alluded to and never explained, although I really enjoyed the development of Lucky's character in this one. In the past books, I felt like she was mostly just a know-it-all brat, but in this one it seems like she learns from the situations where this gets her into trouble, rather than just saying she learned. I also liked the importance plac
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Oct 07, 2011
Amy
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Uck. Preachy and predictable. I have a hard time picturing tweens getting into this novel that had so many chances at being a great story and instead turned into some sort of politically correct sermon. Kids are smarter than that and the author could've gotten her ideas across in a much less heavy handed way. This was the third book in a trilogy and I did not read the first two, thank God!
Sep 05, 2011
Things I enjoyed about this book: the Mojave Desert setting, Lucky's love for Charles Darwin (and Deborah Heiligman's amazing Charles and Emma, which Lucky references several times through the course of the book), and the quirky characters. Patron again shows us how to create a family while also entertaining the reader with a window into a different kind of life than most of us know.
Jan 12, 2012
Sidney
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This book is about a girl named Lucky who lives with her adopted mother. They run a cafe together but one day a man shows up and tells her she has to shut the place down. They won't let her cafe and trailer be attached. The town gets upset. How will they fix this so they don't have to shut down? I recommend this book if you like to not know whats going to happen next.
Oct 09, 2011
Barbara
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Susan Patron writes so beautifully that sometimes it takes your breath away. In this third book of the Lucky trilogy, she continues to give Lucky a voice that rings utterly true. The children in it are mature beyond their years but are totally believable. They are also deeply affected by their unique community and its environs. Lucky's observations about life are descriptive and insightful in the most loving way. She grows up in this book in so many ways. Lincoln, Miles, Paloma, Brigitte,
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Oct 23, 2011
Penny
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Third in the Lucky series (and seemingly the last). Lucky is a truly likable character... honest, perceptive,kind and a girl who knows her own mind and takes action. Probly the best of the three as Lucky is more introspective as she learns about her "real" family and that her friends and neighbors in Hard Pan are her true family.
Dec 29, 2011
GraceAnne
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At least as good as the wondrous The Higher Power of Lucky, Patron brings to a satisfying and heart-filling conclusion the story of Lucky, Hard Pan, and a really difficult family tree.
Nov 15, 2011
Cathy
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Just finished the last two books in this small series by Susan P. Wonderful read about a quirky girl facing challenges in her young life. Even my son has enjoyed these. Must be the science, adventure and number of boys in the story that has kept his interest!
Sep 12, 2011
Sue
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This is the final book in the Hard Pan Trilogy and Lucky's friends in town are fun to hang out with. I like the quirky characters and their unusual solutions to life's problems. Lucky learns more about her father in this book, comes to understand her relationship with Lincoln, and grows up. I liked it.
Aug 23, 2011
Liz
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 12, 2011
Josie
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Satisfying conclusion to the Hard Pan Trilogy. Patron tackles big issues in a thoughtful way. I thought it was a bit off in the pacing, but not enough to deter a young reader. The characters were spot on; especially Lucky in the chapter when she thinks about death. Very relatable for kids.
Sep 02, 2011
Westerville
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"Bravo, Susan Patron, for not being afraid to tackle sensitive subjects like evolution and religion." - Robin, Youth Services Librarian
Reserve a library copy!
Reserve a library copy!
Dec 08, 2011
Lisa
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such a fun little trilogy! I am kind of sad to see the end of Lucky and all her Hard Pan friends come to an end. But at least in this 3rd book there are more all-town-including antics and one more town meeting and Lucky gets a kiss AND makes a new friend...
Jan 23, 2012
Amy
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There are parts of this book where the story seemed a little forced and the book itself seemed a little less written and more plotted. Still, a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy that made me wish for more of Lucky's and Lincoln's and Miles' story...
Nov 18, 2011
Shazzer
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Probably my favorite of the Hard Pan trilogy, and one I felt was the most authentic, most sincere. It lacked the forced feeling of the previous two. Lucky grew up, and so did the books.
Oct 31, 2011
Gloria
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I wish I could have read this trilogy when I was eleven. I love all the elements Susan brings in, the questioning, compassion and the acceptance of change. It's a nice little package of dealing with 'life.'
