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Lolly Luck
Lolly has always been lucky, but her luck may be changing—a gritty tale of real-life family issues like job loss, explored through a heroine preteen girls will love
Lolly is Lolly Luck by name, lucky by nature. She always wins magazine competitions, scratch cards, and any game you can think of. But when Lolly's dad loses his job and then the family home, Lolly's luck starts to change. And when she overhears her parents arguing, she learns a secret that will change her life forever.
Lolly is Lolly Luck by name, lucky by nature. She always wins magazine competitions, scratch cards, and any game you can think of. But when Lolly's dad loses his job and then the family home, Lolly's luck starts to change. And when she overhears her parents arguing, she learns a secret that will change her life forever.
- GenresChildrens
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2012
About the author
Ellie Daines
3 books3 followersBorn and raised in north London, Ellie Daines always aspired to one day become an author and as a child she spent much of her spare time writing short stories. At university, Ellie studied Journalism and then later spent several years working in online marketing for various companies.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 6, 2023
I really like it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2017
I was simply hooked to this book and couldn't stop reading. I got it when I was a little younger and it was amazing. It was a great journey going through this book and I highly recommend it to children of ages 9-10 ;)
February 14, 2012
I knew before I began reading Lolly Luck that I would enjoy I was going to like it. The plot sounded great, and the cover was cool (Is it just me or does this cover remind you of the new Cathy Cassidy covers?!). And I was proved right! I loved this book, there wasn't a bit I didn't enjoy! I liked the little twist that was Lolly being lucky. It made the book more interesting for me. There are a lot of books with a similar plot to Lolly Luck, but that ((and a few other things) made it that bit different.
I liked the character of Lolly but she wasn't my favourite. She was nice, but I thought she seemed a bit spoilt, near the beginning of the book. Like, she was cross because she didn't get her bike (her birthday present) straight away the morning of her birthday, she had to wait until the evening. I mean, she was lucky to get a bike at all! Some children have nothing! And I thought she was a bit whiny too. But I suppose she did have quite a lot to deal with, considering she was only eleven! Aside from all that, however, I did like her, honestly!
The characters were well thought-out and believable. My favourite was either Zola, Lolly's older sister or her best friend Nancy. Zola was a typical older sister, a bit mean to Lolly sometimes! But really she was a good sister, and helped and supported Lolly. You could see that the two sisters were close and they really had to pull together during the family's problems. Their relationship was great. And Lolly's best friend Nancy was also really kind and supportive, although she seemed very mature for eleven!
I read this book in one sitting, it was surprisingly hard to put down! It is a quick simple read but it has more depth and meaning than I had expected. I think a lot of children reading this book would be able to relate to Lolly and her family's financial situation because of the world wide recession at the moment. I thought it was brilliant in that sense. The book was very real, something refreshing in middle grade fiction! I think fans of Jacqueline Wilson will like it.
Overall this is a realistic, relatable book with a brilliant story and fantastic characters!
I liked the character of Lolly but she wasn't my favourite. She was nice, but I thought she seemed a bit spoilt, near the beginning of the book. Like, she was cross because she didn't get her bike (her birthday present) straight away the morning of her birthday, she had to wait until the evening. I mean, she was lucky to get a bike at all! Some children have nothing! And I thought she was a bit whiny too. But I suppose she did have quite a lot to deal with, considering she was only eleven! Aside from all that, however, I did like her, honestly!
The characters were well thought-out and believable. My favourite was either Zola, Lolly's older sister or her best friend Nancy. Zola was a typical older sister, a bit mean to Lolly sometimes! But really she was a good sister, and helped and supported Lolly. You could see that the two sisters were close and they really had to pull together during the family's problems. Their relationship was great. And Lolly's best friend Nancy was also really kind and supportive, although she seemed very mature for eleven!
I read this book in one sitting, it was surprisingly hard to put down! It is a quick simple read but it has more depth and meaning than I had expected. I think a lot of children reading this book would be able to relate to Lolly and her family's financial situation because of the world wide recession at the moment. I thought it was brilliant in that sense. The book was very real, something refreshing in middle grade fiction! I think fans of Jacqueline Wilson will like it.
Overall this is a realistic, relatable book with a brilliant story and fantastic characters!
February 26, 2012
This tale of family difficulties leading to major changes in circumstances is well told and will be enjoyed by readers of around 9 and up. Lolly is a likeable and realistic character who narrates her own story in a lively voice. The idea of her being lucky and feeling she's lost her luck adds a different angle to the story and contributes to her generally positive outlook on life, while her penchant for making paper fans is a cute and realistic quirk to her character. Her relationship with her parents and sister and others at school are believable and will have familiar aspects for many readers, including the teasing from the 'mean girl' and her hesitation in sharing some of her problems with even her best friend.
The triggering issue here - her father losing his job - will, unfortunately, be familiar to some readers who are likely to find a story like this reassuring. Lolly's resilience, especially since we see her optimism sometimes struggling, offers hope. This is no sugar-coated version of the world and Daines does not go easy on Lolly and her family, but it is all handled well for the target age group. The life-changing secret is also believable, as are the circumstances surrounding its revelation.
I enjoyed this book and my 8 yr old is keen to read it next, thanks largely to the cute cover. It's worth a mention that I probably wouldn't have noted Lolly's intended racial identity without this cover, and I think this is a good thing. It's great that there is greater representation of diversity in children's books now, and that there can be black and minority ethnic characters in kids' books without the story being somehow about their race. Any kind of family can experience what Lolly's family does, so there is no need for such stories to default to white kids any more, like they did when I was a kid.
Overall, this is a very good example of contemporary realism for the 'middle grade' reader. It doesn't shy away from difficult situations, but it isn't miserable either. Lolly is a great character who carries the tale beautifully.
The triggering issue here - her father losing his job - will, unfortunately, be familiar to some readers who are likely to find a story like this reassuring. Lolly's resilience, especially since we see her optimism sometimes struggling, offers hope. This is no sugar-coated version of the world and Daines does not go easy on Lolly and her family, but it is all handled well for the target age group. The life-changing secret is also believable, as are the circumstances surrounding its revelation.
I enjoyed this book and my 8 yr old is keen to read it next, thanks largely to the cute cover. It's worth a mention that I probably wouldn't have noted Lolly's intended racial identity without this cover, and I think this is a good thing. It's great that there is greater representation of diversity in children's books now, and that there can be black and minority ethnic characters in kids' books without the story being somehow about their race. Any kind of family can experience what Lolly's family does, so there is no need for such stories to default to white kids any more, like they did when I was a kid.
Overall, this is a very good example of contemporary realism for the 'middle grade' reader. It doesn't shy away from difficult situations, but it isn't miserable either. Lolly is a great character who carries the tale beautifully.
May 29, 2012
Review by Beth
Lolly Luck is a well written and thought out novel that takes some seriously major family and personal issues and makes them palatable, manageable and readable for an audience of around 9-11. Lolly is a happy go lucky, likeable and fun character who narrates her own tale, from the beginning where her luck seems to be on the up, throughout the story when it seems to come upon hard times and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Lolly is an extremely believable and genuine narrator who has many personality quirks and nuances that make her especially likeable, including her dislike of the popular school bully and her love of making paper fans for her dad and family members.
Everything is going so well at the beginning, it’s Lolly’s birthday and she’s already received a wad of cash from a mysterious Great Uncle and is looking forward to her special bike from her parents. However, after school everything changes, her dad has lost his job and nothing seems as lucky anymore. From then on, their household shifts and things are no longer the way they were for Lolly and her big sister Zola. It comes to a head when Lolly hears a heart-breaking secret in an argument between her parents and she knows nothing will be the same again.
This novel deals with some highly relevant and current social issues and markets them wonderfully to a young adult/older child audience. With issues such as redundancy, social housing and family breakdown treated with care and dignity, Ellie Daines gives us a novel which whilst dealing with such big issues isn’t depressive or too hard to handle. An enjoyable and fun novel where you constantly find yourself cheering Lolly on and hoping she reaches a happy ending.
Lolly Luck is a well written and thought out novel that takes some seriously major family and personal issues and makes them palatable, manageable and readable for an audience of around 9-11. Lolly is a happy go lucky, likeable and fun character who narrates her own tale, from the beginning where her luck seems to be on the up, throughout the story when it seems to come upon hard times and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Lolly is an extremely believable and genuine narrator who has many personality quirks and nuances that make her especially likeable, including her dislike of the popular school bully and her love of making paper fans for her dad and family members.
Everything is going so well at the beginning, it’s Lolly’s birthday and she’s already received a wad of cash from a mysterious Great Uncle and is looking forward to her special bike from her parents. However, after school everything changes, her dad has lost his job and nothing seems as lucky anymore. From then on, their household shifts and things are no longer the way they were for Lolly and her big sister Zola. It comes to a head when Lolly hears a heart-breaking secret in an argument between her parents and she knows nothing will be the same again.
This novel deals with some highly relevant and current social issues and markets them wonderfully to a young adult/older child audience. With issues such as redundancy, social housing and family breakdown treated with care and dignity, Ellie Daines gives us a novel which whilst dealing with such big issues isn’t depressive or too hard to handle. An enjoyable and fun novel where you constantly find yourself cheering Lolly on and hoping she reaches a happy ending.
July 15, 2014
Review can be found at: www.the-reading-pile.blogspot.co.uk
I received Lolly Luck a while back, and found myself able to relate to it... scarily easily... Well as time went on I found I just never had the time to pick up this short story and read it. When I finally got the chance to (in the car on the way to my holiday...) I found I could relate to it in pretty much every way... It was scary. It caused me to remember why I accepted this book, even though it wasn't something I'd usually read.
Lolly Luck is a childish book, with easy writing but very tough subjects. Ellie Daines tackles these topics well and succesfully. Without making things horrible for me (my parents have recently separated and such also...), the book was enjoyable. Sure, parts were heart breaking - others were funny. but overall it was a very lovely book to read.
Lolly as a character was funny and unusual but lovely, something I really enjoyed seeing in a character. She helped make the story very real - it wasn't set in some far off land with dragons and mermaids... It was very real...
Zola was a very annoying, but beautiful character. Daines portrayed everything younger siblings love about older siblings and hate in one character. Zola was brilliantly written... The mother and the father also had a very real relationship that crashed in the same way my parents did... Which again made the book very real to me, but would be real in a general idea. It didn't happen immediately, there was a down hill spiral from which difficult stuff occurred.
I really did enjoy this book, and would suggest it to younger readers... But even older readers who perhaps want something easy and quick to read!
I received Lolly Luck a while back, and found myself able to relate to it... scarily easily... Well as time went on I found I just never had the time to pick up this short story and read it. When I finally got the chance to (in the car on the way to my holiday...) I found I could relate to it in pretty much every way... It was scary. It caused me to remember why I accepted this book, even though it wasn't something I'd usually read.
Lolly Luck is a childish book, with easy writing but very tough subjects. Ellie Daines tackles these topics well and succesfully. Without making things horrible for me (my parents have recently separated and such also...), the book was enjoyable. Sure, parts were heart breaking - others were funny. but overall it was a very lovely book to read.
Lolly as a character was funny and unusual but lovely, something I really enjoyed seeing in a character. She helped make the story very real - it wasn't set in some far off land with dragons and mermaids... It was very real...
Zola was a very annoying, but beautiful character. Daines portrayed everything younger siblings love about older siblings and hate in one character. Zola was brilliantly written... The mother and the father also had a very real relationship that crashed in the same way my parents did... Which again made the book very real to me, but would be real in a general idea. It didn't happen immediately, there was a down hill spiral from which difficult stuff occurred.
I really did enjoy this book, and would suggest it to younger readers... But even older readers who perhaps want something easy and quick to read!
December 27, 2011
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, and when it ended I felt like starting at the beginning and reading Lolly's story all over again. It is about a young girl called Lolly Luck - lucky by name and nature. Everything good happens to her: she wins parts of the lottery, gets the lead in a school play, wins competitions and raffles, finds money on the floor...until one day her whole world is changed around. On her birthday, her Dad admits he has lost his job and Lolly's luck is draining further and further away.
The issue in this book is one many children can relate to and I am sure it can be a book that they really connect with: money problems, parents arguing, bullies, and older sisters. I think I am going to lend/recommend this book to my sister (aged 10) and possibly her friends because it is a great book they will find interesting.
Ellie Daines makes the characters really believable, I could picture them very clearly like I had known them for years. They are all different too, not like a lot of books where the same personalities can get boring after a while. Marissa is mean and spiteful, Nancy is caring and thoughtful, her Mum is kind but appears slightly stressful and bossy, her Dad is kind but seems to be drifting away from Lolly...and I won't tell you about the characters because they appear in a big twist in the middle of the book. ;)
I don't think I have read any bad review on this book at all. I don't really have any negative points at all! It is aimed at 8-12 year olds but I am 14 and I enjoyed it as a light read. Read it to yourself, your little sister, your daughter, your dog, your fish! Everyone needs to read this.
The issue in this book is one many children can relate to and I am sure it can be a book that they really connect with: money problems, parents arguing, bullies, and older sisters. I think I am going to lend/recommend this book to my sister (aged 10) and possibly her friends because it is a great book they will find interesting.
Ellie Daines makes the characters really believable, I could picture them very clearly like I had known them for years. They are all different too, not like a lot of books where the same personalities can get boring after a while. Marissa is mean and spiteful, Nancy is caring and thoughtful, her Mum is kind but appears slightly stressful and bossy, her Dad is kind but seems to be drifting away from Lolly...and I won't tell you about the characters because they appear in a big twist in the middle of the book. ;)
I don't think I have read any bad review on this book at all. I don't really have any negative points at all! It is aimed at 8-12 year olds but I am 14 and I enjoyed it as a light read. Read it to yourself, your little sister, your daughter, your dog, your fish! Everyone needs to read this.
April 6, 2012
I won this book in a goodreads first-reads giveaway
This was a great little girls book, dealing with emotions such as loss, love, loyalty, hope, and optimism in a way that girls will easily understand. I felt really bad for everything that was going wrong in Lolly's life, but it was very realistic. Many girls around the world have been in situations like this, with a lot of loss, and betrayal all one right after another. Lolly deals with one thing after another until she almost hits her breaking point. Finally her family starts to understand all she's been going through and they decide to try to make things better again.
I felt like this would be a good read for any girl, since Lolly handles her problems very well, and girls can look up to how she acted. I loved that this was so full of innocence, and Lolly is a child every girl can relate to. It also deals with themes that are very common for our time, with adult arguments and problems being pushed onto such a young girl. She's sorta in a stuck in the middle situation, without much hope to make things better without help from the adults around her. Really good read for the 8-12 year old crowd!
This was a great little girls book, dealing with emotions such as loss, love, loyalty, hope, and optimism in a way that girls will easily understand. I felt really bad for everything that was going wrong in Lolly's life, but it was very realistic. Many girls around the world have been in situations like this, with a lot of loss, and betrayal all one right after another. Lolly deals with one thing after another until she almost hits her breaking point. Finally her family starts to understand all she's been going through and they decide to try to make things better again.
I felt like this would be a good read for any girl, since Lolly handles her problems very well, and girls can look up to how she acted. I loved that this was so full of innocence, and Lolly is a child every girl can relate to. It also deals with themes that are very common for our time, with adult arguments and problems being pushed onto such a young girl. She's sorta in a stuck in the middle situation, without much hope to make things better without help from the adults around her. Really good read for the 8-12 year old crowd!
March 14, 2012
This is a really sweet and fun read yet still manages to deal with some real issues. It's a great addition to the 9-12 year range.
I really liked the character Lolly. Her voice comes across as a typical 11 year old and I found her easy to relate to. I loved her family - especially her relationship with her sister.
Once her dad loses his job things spiral downhill quite quickly and in a realistic manner. It's very interesting to see it through the eyes of an 11 year old - the impact it has on her everyday life and the fears she has about it. And reading between the lines you can really see the strain it has on both her parents - which of course leads to the revelation that changes Lolly's life completely.
I was really surprised by the book - it really tackles some tough topics but does so in a way that keeps it appropriate for the 9-12 year old age range and makes it something they will enjoy reading. This will definitely appeal to readers of Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy. Sign me up for more of Ellie Daniel's books!
I really liked the character Lolly. Her voice comes across as a typical 11 year old and I found her easy to relate to. I loved her family - especially her relationship with her sister.
Once her dad loses his job things spiral downhill quite quickly and in a realistic manner. It's very interesting to see it through the eyes of an 11 year old - the impact it has on her everyday life and the fears she has about it. And reading between the lines you can really see the strain it has on both her parents - which of course leads to the revelation that changes Lolly's life completely.
I was really surprised by the book - it really tackles some tough topics but does so in a way that keeps it appropriate for the 9-12 year old age range and makes it something they will enjoy reading. This will definitely appeal to readers of Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy. Sign me up for more of Ellie Daniel's books!
June 20, 2012
I won this in a goodreads firstreads. Sorry for being late, just got out've reading for a couple months. (I do this every...couple months lol)
Lolly Luck is a lucky girl, she has always been lucky, but her luck is about to change for the worse. It starts with her dad losing his job, then their house, then as the story progresses things get worse and Lolly learns a shocking secret.
Lolly Luck has a fantastic story and for the most part, fantastic pacing, (It was a little to fast at the end in my opinion tho.) and some fantastic characters.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book about a child growing up, and learning harsh realities.
4/5 Stars.
Lolly Luck is a lucky girl, she has always been lucky, but her luck is about to change for the worse. It starts with her dad losing his job, then their house, then as the story progresses things get worse and Lolly learns a shocking secret.
Lolly Luck has a fantastic story and for the most part, fantastic pacing, (It was a little to fast at the end in my opinion tho.) and some fantastic characters.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book about a child growing up, and learning harsh realities.
4/5 Stars.
April 1, 2015
Lollyanna is lucky but when she hears bad news
February 3, 2012
OMG best children's book ever :)
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