Lucky

Here it is.

The worst book I ever read.

Everything happened at once, and nothing happened at all.

I will say this. This book is perfect for you if you like reading about shallow, spoiled, bratty, selfish fourteen-year-olds who don't know a thing about life and think they do, kissing their boyfriends from sixth grade (you read that right) and then leaving the boys hanging while they sneak around their parents' mansions and their friends party in the Hamptons with high school boys. Complaining. The. Entire. Time.

If the main character had actually shaped up by the end of the book that would've been something. But here's what happens. She kissed her boyfriend in sixth grade, didn't see him over a weekend and didn't talk to him after that. show more Just avoided the boy who supposedly had been more like a best friend than a boyfriend. (You know, 'cause eleven-year-olds have the maturity to really know.) Then again at the end of eighth grade, to the dismay of her friends, she got back with him. Not really. But kind of. They made out while in swimsuits and this eighth grader "noticed how warm his skin was".
Then, go figure, she doesn't talk to him.
At the very end of the book they kiss again. And that's all. It doesn't go on after that, to say she actually treated him right. For all we know, they never spoke again as long as they lived. If that had actually been slightly resolved it could've redeemed a story that was shallow from start to finish. But no one gained any responsibility or maturity by the end. Ooh, she humbled herself enough to accept her friend's gift of the dress they both knew she wanted more than anything. She once complimented a girl she'd been a little mean to before. Not enough to counterbalance that all along her group of "best friends" were talking about each other behind their backs.

None of these brats changed or shaped up by the end of this novel. It took over two hundred pages to say "The brats stayed brats."

But, if that's what you like, this book is for you. Hope you regret reading it less than I did. (Not really.) show less

I had a little difficult remembering that Pheobe is only graduating from middle school, I don't remember being so style-aware at that age. But the picture of her group of friends, and the shifting dynamic as her family's fortunes change was well drawn, and I enjoyed her relationship with her older sisters. Throw in a sweet little romance, and this made a very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the stories of her other sisters.

I can see how this book will appeal to the average teenage girl but I regarded this book skeptically. It's not easy sympathizing with the troubles of a girl from an upper-class family (although some of her troubles are universal, such as boys, misunderstandings with her girlfriends, etc.). Kirstyn also came off throughout the book as something of a "mean girl" so I didn't buy Phoebe's realization of what a supportive friend Kirstyn had been. Pushing my skepticism over the top was the Disney-style happy ending.

This was a quick YA read that I enjoyed once I got past the smart-mouthed narration of the 14 year-old protagonist. Phoebe Avery has it all -- she and her friends seem to be the queen bees of their middle school, and they are planning an unforgettable party to celebrate the end of their school year and their continuation to high school. Phoebe's family is faced with an unexpected financial crisis that sends her world into a tailspin as she navigates how to keep up appearances while coping with financial hardship for the first time ever. This is the first book of a trilogy that tells essentially the same story but from the experience and point of view of each of the Avery sisters.

Curriculum/essential questions: how do you overcome show more adversity? When is it okay to ask for help? To offer help?

Vail, R. (2008). Lucky. New York: HarperTeen. show less

Not really sure what I can say about this book. Fourteen-year-old Phoebe was a bratty, spoilt and shallow protagonist and she annoyed me from the start. Unfortunately, she showed no emotional growth throughout the book, and at the end she was still a brat. I hated how she whined and whinged when her mother lost her job and suddenly they didn't have the endless money supply she was used to having. There was more than one occasion when I wanted to slap some sense into Phoebe as she still had more money than most middle-class families have. Obnoxious brat!

young-adult
[edit]

Lucky is the first book in a trilogy about the Avery sisters. Phoebe Avery is the youngest one of the sisters and all her life, she has been considered “lucky”. Pretty, popular, and rich, Phoebe and her best friend Kirstyn and her three other close friends are the social center of their grade. Then, Phoebe`s family has a financial catastrophe and Phoebe realizes she needs to figure out who she is.
One thing I have to commend Rachel Vail on is that she knows how to write teenage characters. All of them were so dynamic and real. The relationships did not have a ring of falsity, and everything that Phoebe said, I could imagine a teenager saying. Another thing I liked were the hints of problems with Phoebe’s other show more sisters that are to be explored in the other two books in the trilogy.
I found Phoebe’s coming of age story to be quite sincere. I personally enjoyed reading about her discovery into what it means to be a good friend, a good daughter, and a good person. I also thought the book really reminded us to be more trusting of the people that we should trust. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next two books. show less

Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

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 show more 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. show less