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Three Times Lucky

by Sheila Turnage

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Mo LoBeau (1)

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2,007978,049 (4.04)39
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.
  1. 10
    Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (foggidawn)
  2. 00
    The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (C.Vick)
    C.Vick: Very similar stories. Foundlings, spunky heroines, milder mannered best friends...
  3. 00
    Savvy by Ingrid Law (BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: With homespun storytelling and fascinating companions in tow, two distinctive Southern girls are on involving missions: Moses LoBeau to find her real mother and solve a murder (Lucky), Mibs Beaumont to control her magical talent and save her injured father.… (more)
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» See also 39 mentions

English (95)  Swedish (2)  All languages (97)
Showing 1-5 of 95 (next | show all)
Mo LoBeau is a rising sixth-grader in the tiny town of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina. She's a slick talking girl whose best friend is a boy named Dale Earnhardt Johnson III. Mo lives with adoptive parents: Miss Lana, a wig-wearing eccentric cafe owner, and the Colonel, a man with no memory of his past who calls Mo "soldier" (affectionately) and hates lawyers. Mo and Dale decide to become detectives when a local man is murdered and the only suspects seem to be Dale and the Colonel.

Sheila Turnage's first middle grade novel is exciting, funny, suspenseful, and full of super loveable characters. I can only talk about the flaws in the books by mentioning spoilers, so I won't.

Actually, I will here: If Miss Lana knew the Colonel's past all along, why didn't she tell him? Twelve years is a long, long time to keep that kind of thing to yourself.

A few notes for future reference:

1. Dale's father is an abusive drunk. Pretty heavy topic for an otherwise mostly lighthearted book. Actually, what's lighthearted about trying to find a murderer?

2. I guess the best way to describe the tone of the book would be heightened realism. There's no magic or anything, but could a baby really wash up in a hurricane? Is any kid as clever and silver tongued as Mo? Would a sheriff (or any grown-up) really let kids get involved in a murder investigation?

3. Mo is always writing her to "upstream" mother AKA her biological mother who either abandoned her or lost her. Part of Mo's journey is accepting that she has loving adoptive parents and she doesn't always need to be searching for her "real" family.

4. Mo's super crush on Dale's older brother Lavender is completely adorable. She's sure she's going to marry Lavender and he is completely crush worthy.

5. I absolutely adore a quirky and memorable narrator, which Mo totally is. Her voice, which is funny, clever, spunky and full of Southern charm, will stay with me.

6. Read-alike authors (funny, clever, quirky): Frank Cottrell Boyce, Ellen Potter, Jack Gantos, Polly Horvath

7. I loved Mo's voice so much, I went out and got the audiobook, which was fantastic. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Independent Reading Level: Grades 2 - 8
ALA Notable Children's Books (2013)
John Newberry Medal (2013) ( )
  SavannahDillon | Apr 14, 2023 |
Some of the best characters! Really great audio version. ( )
  deemaromer | Feb 23, 2023 |
This book wasn't my cup of tea because the characters seemed to speak too much like they were on a sitcom. I just couldn't really believe in them. I liked the mystery and the setting enough to stick with it. It would be an exciting class read. ( )
  kamlibrarian | Dec 23, 2022 |
I listened to the audio version, which may have made me like this novel a bit more than usual. Michal Friedman does an amazing job of narrating this wonderfully refreshing story. ( )
  DebCushman | Aug 25, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 95 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Sheila Turnageprimary authorall editionscalculated
Friedman, MichalNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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For my parents-Vivian Taylor Turnage and A.C. Turnage, Jr.-who taught me to love books.
First words
Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt.
Quotations
His newt, Sir Isaac, stirred in the terrarium. (p. 209)
"Never underestimate the power of stupid, Dale." (p. 213)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.

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Book description
Mo LeBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. SHe's found a home with the Colonel-a cafe owner with a forgotten past of his own-and Miss Lana, the fabulous cafe hostess, and will protect those she loves with every bit of he strong will. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known. (ARC)
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Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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