Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl

by Susan Lubner

Told with humor and heart, this is a middle grade story about family, friendship, and hope--plus cats in sweaters!

Living in the small town of East Thumb, Maine, upstairs from her family's diner, twelve-year-old Lizzy Sherman searches for signs to guide her and perhaps guarantee her a bump-free path through life. She pays attention to the clouds in the sky, the ice cubes in her water, the heart-shaped puddle of the juice her friend spilled. If only she can figure out what the signs are trying to tell her, she'll know what to do next.

When Lizzy and her best friend go searching for a stray cat and find a runaway girl instead, they want to help. And when Lizzy notices a tiny four-leaf clover tattooed on the girl's hand, she knows it's a sign. Lizzy hides the girl inside her bedroom closet, convinced the girl will be able to protect Lizzy's family from tragedy. But signs can be tricky, and what the girl has to offer may be more valuable that luck.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Friendship, Childrens, Cats

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Susan Lubner is the author of seven books for children including the early chapter book series Drag and Rex which received two kirkus stars and was named a best book of 2023. She has published three picture books (Abrams Books for Young Readers) and two middle grade novels, Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl (Running Press Kids/Hachette Books) and The Upside of Ordinary (Holiday House). Her work has been published in Spider Magazine and Highlights for Children. Susan has two grown daughters and lives in Massachusetts with her husband and a very spoiled dog who loves books so much he tries to eat them. Follow Susan on Instagram @susanlubner

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy's worried.

Her mom's pregnant again, and, well, those haven't been the stories around her apartment lately that have had the happy endings.

Lizzy thinks about her mom's health, her miscarriages and her resulting depression. . . a lot. So much so, she's started looking for signs everywhere to guide her. And, signs or no signs, she still feels worried.

She thinks, too often, that her “spaghetti brain” is “a big, sticky, knotted mess,” and sometimes she wonders why she has a stomach that feels “like it was full of broken glass.”

Any chance you can relate?

Well, this mother and her 11-year-old daughter could, and we found ourselves, chapter after chapter of this read aloud, delighting more and more in Lizzy's relatable joys and fears.

Lizzy's an amazing 12-year-old girl who comes up with the most poetic sandwich specials in Maine, served up fresh at her parents' diner, but she's also struggling with some anxiety, now that she's learned that “bad things could happen” to her once seemingly-perfect family.

Some tough topics are explored here, but most of them come with a side scoop of ice cream, to ease the blow, and the narrative of this middle grades read is so incredibly clean and delightful, you'll find yourself wanting to return to the Thumbs-Up diner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Frankly, I'd love to read a sequel.

This is, quite honestly, one of the most professional and creative new works of middle grades fiction I've encountered in some time.

I found author Susan Lubner's prose unpretentious and inviting and, as usual, I am left wondering why writers from Maine are almost infuriatingly better than writers from other places. (Is it the wind? The water? The weird people?).

I don't know, but I do know that my preteen daughter and I consider ourselves lucky to have discovered this story.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy brings lots of animals home, and she is actually hanging out with her best friend, Joss, when she sees just one more cat that she feels needs a home, but what they discover in the empty building across from her family's dinner is not just a cat, but a girl, who has run away from home.

And of course, she brings her home, eventually, with her. She just doesn't tell her parents.

And she never tells her parents.

This is a story of Lizzy, who is suffering from the grief of losing her baby sibling en utero, because of her mothering being injured in a car accident, while pregnant, and from that point on, looking for signs to let her know what is coming next. Because, she feels that if she can read the signs around her, she won't be so afraid of what fate has in store for her.

It is an interesting take on the run away stories that abound in children's literature. Usually, a parent intervenes, and they make everything work out. But, in this book, Joss and LIzzy have enough sense, and thought as to how to solve the problem by themselves. Very unusual for a modern children's book to go that route. Reminds me of older books, from the Victorian era, where the kids figured everything out without the parent even noticing that something was amiss.

The children are well rounded, the story moves along at a good clip, and Lizzy is a very realistic child, as is Charlette, the good luck girl, because she has a four leaf clover drawn on her hand, like a tattoo.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review..

[Rune Divina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun middle grade book to read. The plot and the character developments are so cute. The story started with the simple life of Lizzy, who was doing a charity work for her local animal shelter with her best friend, Joss. Then it developed into a wonderful plot of hope, kindness, friendship, and family. Lizzy met new friends, the Good Luck Girl and a stray cat she named Smoky. Through its simple plot, Susan Lubner really succeded in bringing out the readers’ emotions.

I would recommend this for your children or younger siblings to read. The coming of age plot really took the spotlight. Even I would love to buy this book later on and save it for my children in the future (still a long time in the future… but yeah).

[Natasha Sinel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so lovely. It treats a couple of tough topics so sensitively and beautifully. The relationship between Lizzy, the main character, and Charlotte, the good luck girl, is so sweet and powerful. I just loved these girls. And this book. Plus, snuggly cats!

[The Endless Unread · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice easy read with a very comfortable pace. An absolutely beautiful story and one I would definitely read again. Would highly recommend this author.

[Kateryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story of Lizzy and her best friend Joss who discover a girl in an abandoned apartment, with a four leaf clover on her hand. Lizzy sees it as a sign of good luck and offers the girl her bedroom closet.
I don't really have much to say about this book, it wasn't anything special to me. The characters were all flat, and nothing spectacular in terms of the writing. I didn’t like the storyline of an 11 yr old girl running away. I didn't like that another 12 yr old girl was lying to her parents. I didn’t like the overall message of the book. All told, it was a quick read but didn't leave a mark.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is pretty much perfect -- great story, wonderful writing, characters you love spending time with, and a totally satisfying *and* realistic ending. Plus funny! Plus diner life. (Plus cats - but this cat-averse reader can't even hold that against it. It's just that good.)

[Nicole Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Lubner does a brilliant job of bringing the reader deep into those nervous moments in life where everything feels like it has meaning and portent. Lizzy will speak directly to children (and adults!) who are dealing with the same.

[Rajiv · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many thanks to Netgalley in providing me an e-ARC of the book.

To be honest, I did not enjoy reading this book. The concept is interesting, where a girl starts to get good luck when she hides a runaway in her home. However, I did not like the execution and felt that there were many aspects that could have been better.

Let me begin with the character. I found Lizzy to be very hyper and paranoid and found her a bit irritating. She just does whatever she feels like, and there are no consequences to her actions. She is obsessed in listening to signs to tell her if her luck with prosper or not. I really thought she needed help and counselling for her behavior. I also did not like how the author has portrayed the runaway story-line in a very lighthearted manner. The story makes it sound like it is OK for young children to run away from home to teach their parents a lesson. Worst of all, the girls actually get away with it in the end and no body finds out.

However, that is not to say that the story was very bad. I did like Lizzy’s family and her friend Joss. They seemed to be more level headed than she was, and I liked how realistically the family was portrayed. In fact, I would have probably liked the book better if Joss was the main character. There are also quite a few quirky part in the story which I enjoyed, like the different names Lizzy comes up for the food, or the ideas that they have for raising money. I also liked the creative themes that Charlotte comes up with in her art while she is hiding in Lizzy’s room.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book and thought it has a few good scenes here and there, but in general, it seemed like a lot of random things were happening to the characters.

[Joann M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a twelve year old girl named Lizzy who has a hard time with grief, loss, friendship, and trust. Its a great story for your early 5th to middle grader.
This has all the feels. I enjoyed reading it.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

[January Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish, I didn't enjoy it all. I really didn't get the story. I don't know what else to say since I didn't finish it.

[Carrie Finison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved so much about this book, from the small-town Maine setting, to the Thumbs-Up diner (sandwich specials!), to the cats (yes, I’m a cat person) and most especially Lizzy, the ever-hopeful main character. Lizzy is always on the lookout for ‘signs’ of what the future might hold. When she finds a runaway girl, she thinks she may have found a sign that she and her parents will find a way through a past family tragedy to their own happy ending. Susan Lubner perfectly captures the emotions and (sometimes nonsensical) decision-making of 12-year-olds as we see Lizzy and her friends make choices through an evolving situation. In the end, they find their way through to their own happy endings, which is exactly the kind of story my middle-school reader likes. Thumbs-up (and a Hot Seat Sandwich) for Lizzy!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for this ARC!

Middle grade stories that have a large focus on community and friendship can feel like a dime a dozen. What often makes certain ones stand as a cut above the rest, are stories where the community and friendships feel fleshed out. Where it feels like a place that you, the reader, can belong in. Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl is that kind of story that looks at a family diner, a lost cat, and an unexpected meeting of two girls.

Lizzy's story is lovely and heartfelt. The "Good-luck Girl," Charlotte, is her unexpected meeting. The way the author develops their friendship in this story, especially when looking at superstitions, is a sweet one. Lizzy is the kind of girl who wants to do everything correctly without upsetting a "higher power," while Charlotte has very good luck, but isn't entirely sure why. As the story develops, you see this relationship blossom into something that is so cute and pure. I loved both of our main characters, and I appreciated the way in which this wasn't a novel about middle graders fighting and friendships falling apart because of it. What I love is this is a story about working together and seeing a real friendship form at the roots.

This is also a book about best friends and how making new friends can often challenge friendship dynamics. I loved Joss as a character, and the storyline about raising money for stray cats was just delightful! Again, it always mazes me when kids go out of their way to create fundraisers or give back to their community in different ways, and this book shows that as a normal thing.

The plot of this book is cute, though a little predictable. I didn't mind that at all though given how the main story gets built up. Ultimately, I think those who love realistic middle grade contemporary will appreciate the sweetness of this book and the hustle and bustle in its storytelling. Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl is like being wrapped in a wonderful warm blanket and never wanting to leave it.

[T.J. Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice! I read this book with my 11-year-old daughter and this evaluation will include both of our opinions. We both were fully emerged into the lives of Lizzy, Charlotte, and Joss. We loved the main characters with all their imperfections, along with the diverse, colorful adults, and of course the temperamental and endearing animal cast! We couldn't wait to get back to the book, night after night, to see how the characters develop and evolve. We liked the little quirks the characters had, and appreciated that they were not perfect, but also that they were willing to learn from their mistakes, and from each other.

I can highly recommend this book to middle grade and young adult readers.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Julie Overpeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you, Susan!

I'll admit, as a mom I got rather annoyed at Lizzy at first. She is superstitious and believes that everything is a sign of what she wants to happen. But as an educator, I know that middle school kids do this. And as a reader, I was completely charmed by the characters. The girls try to raise money by knitting and selling cat sweaters. I totally would have done that! I love Lizzy's heart and the way she worries about her mom. This is the first time I have seen miscarriage and infertility addressed from a kid's point of view, and I think Lubner did a good job capturing how much a child might and might not understand.

Overall a good read. I will add it to my library.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book. The title is written in a beautiful and classic font, there is a cat in the window (I love cats!), and it is not overwhelming, but not a simple design either. There was a good balance of color and illustration on the cover. I was immediately hooked at the beginning wondering what would happen with this girl that did not have a home. I really enjoyed the story line that touched on serious topics while throwing in some humor to keep it from getting too heavy. I was laughing one minute and on the edge of my seat the next. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of 12-year-old Lizzy Sherman, her best friend Joss, and a surprise visitor named Charlotte. Lizzy has had a rough two years. Her family endured a bad car wreck which ended her mother’s previous pregnancy, killing the baby she carried. After that experience, her mother went into a deep depression and the entire family felt so much sadness over the loss. Since then, Lizzy has looked for signs of good luck in hopes that things will get better.

Lizzy’s mother and father run a diner located just beneath their apartment, and Lizzy’s mother is pregnant again. So now, more than ever, Lizzy is obsessively looking for good signs in the world around her. She sees signs in the clouds, in spilled drinks, in you-name-it!

Both Lizzy and Joss have a special interest in re-homing lost shelter cats. In fact, they are even working on a program through their school to raise money and bring awareness of the need to adopt. However, one morning their love of stray cats leads them into an old, abandoned building where they discover an 11-year-old runaway named Charlotte. Charlotte’s father and mother are in the process of getting a divorce and she can’t bear to be back at home as her father is preparing to leave. Once Lizzy discovers that Charlotte has what appears to be a 4-leaf clover on her hand, she is ready to move Charlotte into her closet and keep her hidden from family until after the baby is born. For luck!

“I tried not to think about the last time Mom had gone in an ambulance. The last time I had been in a hospital was the night we had lost the baby. But that night, I had lost something else, too. For months after the accident, Mom didn’t care about anything anymore. Not the diner. Not Dad. Not me. I wanted it to stop. I wanted a sign that things would be all right… a promise that all the awfulness would go away. More than a pink sky or a frozen puddle, more than anything in the world, I had just wanted my mother.”

With both good humor and sadness, this story is one of hope, uncertainty, friendship, and coming to terms with devastating loss. Nevertheless, this story also addresses running away from problems, lying to friends, and deceiving your parents. There’s so much up for discussion with this one!

My thanks to Netgalley and Running Press Kids for allowing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. For more #kidlit, #mglit, and #yalit book reviews, please visit my book review blog: The Miller Memo.

[Karen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was just discussing with a student about how sometimes it is difficult to get into a new book, especially when you are introduced to entirely new characters and settings. I experienced that a bit with this book, but once I was 50 pages in, my experience completely reversed and I could not put it down. Once I entered Lizzy, Joss, and Charlotte's story, I had to know how it turned out. This book is a lot of fun. The friends develop a cat sweater business to raise money for a local shelter, and when the cats aren't very cooperative, I had a good chuckle. It was nice to see the characters problem solve and succeed with a new strategy. The diner owned by Lizzy's parents is a wonderful community of characters, and the story has a lighthearted feel while touching on some serious topics: divorce, death, depression, and anxiety. Lizzy starts out by "rescuing" a run away girl from an abandoned apartment building, but she ends up getting just as much help from Charlotte as she gives. I will say it did cross my mind that is was rather unrealistic for no adults to find out about the runaway or help throughout the entire story, but as an adult I had to suspend reality a bit and understand that kids need strong characters capable of fixing problems themselves. While actually running away is quite dangerous, most kids fantasize about it, and this book uses that to show that maybe home is the best place even when it is far from perfect. #LitReviewCrew

[Gregandemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank the publisher and author for the ARC of this title via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am having a hard time reviewing this book. The writing was good. The main character, Lizzy, and her family were sweet and likable. Its nice to see a youth book about a happy family working together- in this case literally and figuratively. They own and run a family diner under their apartment where they all work together and are also working together to overcome loss, support each other, and help each other.. That's all nice and good. Then you have the runaway and my rating goes down. I did not like the storyline of an 11 yr old running away, I get that she was sad and mad about her parent's divorce. I can see how she would want to get away for a bit or could even want to lash out at her parents, but the story portrays it so lightly when it could've been so dangerous to her. I didn't like that she ran, I didn't like that 12 yr old girls were lying to their parents to let her stay. I think her story could have been told without having the element of her running away. So many terrible things could have happened to her and it wraps up too easily with no trouble, no consequences to the runaway or the girls that hid her. I couldn't agree with that aspect and felt it took away from the enjoyment and overall message of the book.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received this book from the author/publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this was a sweet story about hope, luck, and trying to find the good in life. Lubner was successful in creating a middle grade novel that handled some serious subjects (loss, divorce, fear) in a nice way that didn't feel too overwhelming or depressing. I liked the characters (human and feline alike) and the setting was gorgeous- can't beat living over your family's diner in Maine! While this was well written, I did think there were parts that seemed a little scattered or underdeveloped. I think this may have been a book that would have benefited from a dual perspective- especially to see Charlotte's (the runaway girl) side of things. I also thought the use of signs/ Lizzy's obsession with finding them was only partially addressed and felt a little extreme at times (like to the point where I was wondering when Lizzy was going to be going to see a therapist to discuss her obsession with listening to "signs"). Overall, this is definitely a very heartfelt and deep book but has a nice message and is told in a very sweet way.

[Deanna Holdsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy lives in a small town in Maine and looks for signs that guide her each day. She believes that by following the signs her life will not have sadness. She helps out at her family's diner as well as giving service to the local animal shelter. When Lizzy and her best friend follow a stray cat into an abandoned building they find more than the cat, they also discover a runaway girl. The three become friends when Lizzy invites the girl to stay in her closet in order to be warm and have food. Lizzy believes that the four leaf clover on the girl's hand is good luck for her and her family. Her mother is pregnant and the last time her mother was pregnant the baby was lost when they were in a car accident. Lizzy does all she can to keep Charlotte in her home for her good luck but when the stray cat runs away and all three girls are missing him they decide it may be time to rethink their plans.

I enjoyed the relationship of these three girls. They have good hearts and really try to do what is best for themselves and for the animals in their lives. Their small town sounds like a great place to be.

[Portia · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was OK, and worth the read. at least no dead parents: hooray! trying to get Athena to read it since cats play a prominent role but so far no joy bc she says too much about humans. sigh.
I get that it's about the anxiety and a little of the PTSD recovery and all, but the story and writing couldn't quite get me over the unbelievable. So much unbelievable: plot-convenient fire, 11yo runaway then hiding in an apartment, 12yos volunteering + working+ knitting + selling, and their class etc. Then orchestrating a fake meeting at the end. Nope. This is an age with which i am intimately familiar, and there are way too many problems with all of it from the nighttime prowling to the closet art. I could suspend disbelief for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler but not for this.
Still, funny read, good BFF moments and I liked the diner.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid middle grade novel. Lizzy is desperately looking for signs that her mom’s unborn baby will survive until birth, since she already lost one in a terrible car accident. When she and her best friend Joss discover a girl in an abandoned apartment, with a four leaf clover on her hand, it seems like a sign of good luck. Charlotte has run away from home and finds shelter, hiding with Lizzy.

Lizzy’s need to find signs everywhere to let her know that things will be okay is completely believable. Charlotte’s disappearance is not. It’s unlikely that police wouldn’t have tracked her to Lizzy’s, especially once they send an EMAIL to the parents. Oh well. It was still a good story and lots of cats got rescued. :)

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about a girl named Lizzy, who looks for signs to tell her how things in her life are going to turn out. When she discovers a runaway with a four-leaf clover tattoo, she thinks things will turn out well--mainly, she is worried about her mother's pregnancy.

Lubner is to be commended for her wonderful storytelling. Readers will be pulled into the plot and may begin looking for signs themselves to tell them how the story will turn out. Will Charlotte return home? Will Lizzy's mom be okay, and what about her dad? Will Lizzy and Joss be successful in helping the animal shelter? Will Smoky ever come out of the wall?

Recommended for younger middle-grade readers, this is a good purchase for library collections.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl
by Susan Lubner


#LizzyAndTheGoodLuckGirl #NetGalley



Kind-hearted Lizzy brings home strays. Animals are one thing but a runaway girl is something else! Lizzy brings her home too.

BUT

Lizzy doesn't tell her parents about it. Never!
If you join Lizzy on her adventure you will find out how resourceful she and Joss, and Charlotte, the good-luck girl with the 4 leaf clover are.

One of my favorite parts was the cat sweaters!
My thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for the free e book in exchange for my honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and gentle story about friendship, trust, and coming to terms with loss and uncertainty in life. Lizzy's small-town community feels true-to-life, from her family's cozy diner to the knitted cat sweater fundraiser (ha!) she works on with her best friend. And the way she and her friends learn to cope with heavier issues--runaways, divorcing parents, miscarriages--feels both realistic and brave. I was rooting for smart, resourceful Lizzy all the way through.

[Jodi McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to love about this story. The themes of friendship, compassion, loss, and philanthropy mixed with well developed characters, cats, and the perfect small town setting make this a great read for kids and adults. Lizzy's search for good luck and her desperate attempt at keeping it when she think she finds it was a sweet, poignant way to show the effects of grief. This debut book by Susan Lubner checked all the boxes for me!

[Danny Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this book I had to remind myself constantly who this book was written for; 8 to 12 year old children, not 27 year old adults like myself.

The writing style is well done and the book was certainly interesting, it got dark (for 8 year olds) and allowed my very dark 27 year old brain to let my creative assumptions run wild until it was slapped in the face by what wouls only frighten small children.

Great for kids not adults

[Diane Dahlstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzy is a superstitious girl who looks for signs of hope for the future to help ease her emotions of past sadness and loss. Lizzy’s wit, wisdom and worrying teach us to never give up hope, and to embrace the “butterflies in the heart” no matter how difficult it may be. Beautifully written with heart and humor, Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl is a sure sign of more good things to come from Susan Lubner!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brimming with small-town charm, quirky characters and clever humor, Lizzy and the Good Luck Girl showcases just how courageous we must be to hold onto hope, especially after loss. Hand this to someone who might need gentle encouragement to love their corner of the world—and to anyone who has ever considered putting a sweater on a cat.