The Lucky Poor

by Mazie Lovie

Mazie's family has been offered a fantastic their very own, brand-new house, built for them by Habitat for Humanity. But it's a present that comes with a number of strings attached, and soon, they'll learn just how many problems even a new home can't fix.

An inside look at inequality and second chances, struggle and hope, hard work and charity, The Lucky Poor is the incredible true story of one life-changing event, and every unexpected thing that happens next.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Memoir, Comics, Biography, Nonfiction, LGBT

134 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2024

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people have focused on how this memoir graphic novel should have had more about Habitat for Humanity, Canada. But this is Mazie’s story of how having the homes she had, including the one from Habitat helped shape who she was.

Because she had to share a room with her brother in the small apartment that they lived in, she learned how to find ways to escape. Either through drawing or through writing. Strangely enough, she didn’t realize that she could do anything with her drawings, but thought she had to try to be a writer.

This is a sometimes frustrating, sometimes funny look at growing up poor, and being “lucky” enough to always have enough to eat, and a roof over their heads.

Nicely drawn, with some interesting things that she focused on about her life growing up.

Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 12th of March 2024.

[Maggie Runde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twas lovely, fun illustrations and out of my normal range (naturally because of a book challenge at the library, hehehe) but just not my personal jam.

[J MaK · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.0) Much like the book’s title, the author highlights a wholistic perspective (high and lows) including frustrations, disappointments, and small victories. Using an oxymoron to further explain the perception of being “lucky poor” and how is it perceived was a good touch!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir comic tells the story of Mazie's childhood through the different places she called home. The writing is clear and accessible, and the story is straightforward with a good amount of introspective depth about what home means to the author/illustrator. I like the illustration style and the clear storytelling, but do note that the DRC I received has an error where page 124 is a repeat of page 122 so I feel like I missed something in the story there. I also learned more about how Habitat for Humanity works (or at least how it worked in the story's time period in Canada), and have more appreciation for the houses that were recently built in my local area to give families the same "lucky" experience Mazie benefited from.

I received this book free from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Edelweiss/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

A short review as I just haven't been able to get it any longer (the words just don't seem to come out despite me really liking this graphic novel). This was an interesting graphic novel about a girl named Mazie. She has a fantastic family, but not that much money or space in their lives. She has to share a small room with her (very active) smaller brother. Part of her life changes when she and her family are allowed to make their own Habitat for Humanity house (something I think I heard about before) and get a place for their own. We see Mazie grow up. Get friends. Get closer to her family. Find out what for her The Lucky Poor means, and I loved that meaning. It was a good graphic novel and I am excited that I got to read this one! I really loved the art. I would recommend it!

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic memoir of illustrator Mazie Lovie's childhood up to going to college. Mazie shares about having an autistic brother, living in a tiny apartment and then how getting to move into a Habitat for Humanity house changed things, being one of the "lucky poor" (not super poor but not not poor), the joys and struggles of her Mom's various boyfriends over the years, and figuring out what she was good at.

I appreciate Mazie's bravery to share her story. There are so many people around the world who will resonate with her story, or will have their eyes opened by it. It is moving to hear how a Habitat for Humanity house impacted her family (and also learn all that they had to put in work-wise and money-wise to get the house...it wasn't free).

Notes on content [based on eARC]:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Mazie slaps her mom's boyfriend at one point (he makes a rude comment, she says she should slap him for that, he says go ahead, and she shocks him by doing it).
Ethnic diversity: Most characters appear to be white.
LGBTQ+ content: A friend of hers is a lesbian and Mazie shares as a teen she has crushes on both a boy and a girl.
Other: Mazie shares joys and hardships of having an autistic brother. One of her Mom's boyfriends is a jerk.

I received an eARC of the book with no strings attached from the publisher.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book, but not one without flaws. I really had to ask myself if 6-10 year olds, which the publishers say are the middle-grade target readers, would actually appreciate and learn from this. But if I'm not seeing the real target audience, it may be because I'm a long way removed from it. Anyway, our creator is a young woman who is recounting her childhood years – flitting from a farm to a shack (for a week's visit each year) to a tiny apartment, forever with her single mother and her autistic brother – until something changes. The change comes about from a charity able to gear enough people up to volunteer and muscle in on building a home on a not-for-profit basis, with little in the way of mortgage for the people accepting such social housing.

The resulting home is so much bigger and better – a basement, a bedroom each for the kids, room for a mother's shitty boyfriend to come and go from, etc. It clearly does allow for her to have more space to spread, grow, make mistakes, potentially work on her sexuality, and realise that what she wants from life is a career in visual arts. Yes, this much is evident – and this book is somewhat the proof of it all, even if the visuals are really childish and basic-seeming. But I still can't see many youngsters – I certainly know my junior self enough to know I wouldn't have been – interested in social accommodation, the perils of the low-rent household, and what that means.

The flipside to that is that if – IF – this catches the right reader, at the right time, it will cause fireworks. I can't boast for more than the family here – until I was a school-leaver the house I grew up in, with all of its five rooms, was what we in the UK call a council house. Perhaps – PERHAPS – seeing someone else get the right environment for them and the college course they wanted of all things would have encouraged me. But I still felt this flawed for the alleged audience – the very basic art, with its exceptionally simplistic colouring, certainly doesn't portray the "lucky poor" environment as something one needed to shake off toot sweet. If this does gun young, it's not for the best, as the difference the Cinderella moment – "you shall go to your own house – once enough people have helped you for it and you've done the community labour that pays for it!" – makes needed to be a lot broader.

If this will win with anyone, it will be a rarefied person indeed. I can see only the young fed up with moving from home to home, looking up to their richer, pool-in-the-back-garden schoolfriends, and with their fingers crossed for a larger ceiling to look up to at night, really engaging with this. That doesn't make it a dreadful book – far from it – but it makes it one that could have done more, and still shown the reality of the situation but with a bit more meaningfulness.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher

In this graphic style memoir, we follow the various housing and life experiences of young Mazie. While her family managed to stay housed, the quality of the dwellings was often sub-par; there was the "bug house", apartments with the mother's boyfriends, and apartments with mice in sketchy neighborhoods. The author still considers her family "lucky poor" because of the support of grandparents, who not only had a farm but also access to a summer cabin, and were supportive of Maizie and her autistic younger brother Jake. Maizie even had the opportunity to go to a summer program for siblings of children with autism, that provided her with a break from having to be patient with her brother. Maizie's grades were decent, and she had some friends, including ones who accept that she may be a lesbian or bisexual. After several years with an unkind boyfriend, her mother applies for a Habitat for Humanity Home, and the family spends a lot of time working on the house. Maizie is glad to have a larger, safer place to be, and wonders why this opportunity isn't extended to everyone, and not just people who know to apply to the program.
Strengths: The topic of housing challenges doesn't come up in middle grade literature as often as it could, and this is a good representation of different situations that young people might find themselves in. The information about the Habitat for Humanity process of applying and providing "sweat equity" was interesting. Jake's behaviors are challenging, but the family does a good job at helping him process situations, and I was glad to see that Mazie was able to understand his needs and be helpful to him even when he was somewhat burdensome to her. The depiction of a supportive extended family was good to see.
Weaknesses: The illustration style is certainly different from recent graphic novels; the pictures are clear, and in bold colors, but somehow simpler than many I've seen.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy books like Lesage's AWOL or Knisley's Stepping Stones that deal with a sometimes difficult living arrangements for tweens.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who briefly served on a Habitat for Humanity board (we were raising money, not building a house when I served—LAME! And turns out there is always a lot of unnecessary drama on boards) this was interesting to read from the perspective of a kid who gets a Habitat house. There are a lot of misconceptions that Habitat is just giving away houses “for free.” This author is from Canada, so there must be a lot of similar views on poverty there—that poor people should just lift themselves up by the bootstraps and that if they do get some help from an organization like Habitat, then they have to be forever grateful, perfect and under careful scrutiny or else they didn’t “deserve” assistance. A lot of people have never known true poverty and pass a lot of judgment.

This is an honest portrayal, from a young person’s perspective. I think some of the negative reviews here (not that I have read them all) are from people who expect a young tween to have an adult perspective on the payoff of spending their summer vacation helping with 500 hours of volunteering to work on the house. It’s also important to note that the house was for *her mom*—although obviously Mazie benefited, it wasn’t something she asked for, it was a big change, and she didn’t get to live there very long before she was off on her own. She wasn’t acting spoiled by complaining about having to do yard work—it was something she just didn’t expect, having lived in an apartment most of her young life. She also has a lesbian friend and mentions she might be bi, so of course people will ding the reviews over that too. 🙄

Overall, an eye-opening memoir for middle grade/young adult+ readers. It is a great conversation starter on how people may experience different levels of poverty and what obstacles are in the way of financial stability—and more importantly—how society places a higher burden of productivity, effort and sense of gratitude on those we see clawing their way out.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Browsed across this one at my local library and picked it up because I was curious about the author's experience with Habitat for Humanity in Canada. I appreciated how the story is told / organized according to each house Mazie lives in, and her specific experiences there. I equally appreciated following Mazie's journey as a child with an autistic younger sibling.

There were moments where I didn't understand what was going on in some of the panels --I think this book would have benefited from more skilled editing overall. The color work is rather flat, and there were also times where I wasn't sure which person on the page was Mazie.

In terms of being "poor," this book gave me much to wonder about: Mazie's mom always seemed to be employed, her grandparents owned a farm and a (shared) vacation home, and for much of her childhood Mazie doesn't (seem to) encounter class discrimination. I know she's coining the term "lucky poor" to describe her situation, but that she's also white and therefore afforded generational and social benefits (which she mentions --she's certainly not unaware of this reality), and then later attended college made me question how "poor" she and her family truly are / were. In the US, we might refer to someone in her situation as "lower middle class" or just "middle class."

I mean, you are how you describe yourself, and yet . . . well. I enjoyed the book and am still thinking on it.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice autobiography about growing up poor but "lucky"—not rich but able to get by and even get into college! As an autobiography, though, it's a bit here and there, vs. having a more directed storyline like in, say, Smile; the focus is primarily on where Mazie's family lived through the years, specifically their house from Habitat for Humanity, but the narrative drifts in and out about her brother Jake's autism, or her mother's boyfriends, etc.

The art is simple but does the job, and it looks distinctively "Mazie." Other than the narrative quirks, I can't think of any reason I would deduct stars from my review, hence the full-star treatment! However, I realise this is probably me being generous, since autobiography is often hit-or-miss, since you can't exactly change the story to make it better—then it's not true! (Granted, I have no way personally to fact-check any of what happened in the book, so it could be 100% lies and I wouldn't know, haha.)

Recommended for other readers who feel similarly like the "lucky poor," like a support group in book form (like Mazie's support group for siblings of autistic kids).

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic memoir details her growing up with her mother and autistic brother as they moved to various housing situations which eventually led to a home built for them through Habitat for Humanity. As a middle grade novel, there are quite a few things that are left out so the story feels incomplete however the vignettes of the various places they've been serve as guideposts to how she viewed her being raised. There was a cottage owned by the family and her grandparents farm in addition to the apartment they lived in.

It was a lot about Mazie's mother trying to do what's best for their family and the parameters of living in a Habitat home and how Mazie felt about it- from the hundreds of hours of work they had to put in before getting their home to the upkeep needed to take care of a home to the celebration of being able to host friends for sleepovers and a place to stretch out and really dream about who/what she could become.

It's sentimental and focused on securing housing which plenty of kids could relate to (especially feeling squished in a small apartment which was reminiscent of A Soft Place to Land).

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent presentation about many of the life changes that can happen to a middle schooler without any input and often without understandable explanation. It also demonstrates some of the ways that Habitat For Humanity can be a force for positive changes in the lives of those involved.
I feel that this book is best viewed in print or at least as an .acsm instead of PDF
The illustrations by the author are clear, imaginative, brilliantly colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on PDF from Letter Better Publishing Services, Iron Circus Comics via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date 12 Mar 2024 #Comics #GraphicNovels #Manga #NGO

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at my local library with the help of the librarian. This book recieved some good reviews from Booklist and Publishers weekly. This is a graphic novel about Mazie, and the experience her family had with Habitat for Humanity in Canada. I feel like this book is very relatable to many students. One of the questions asked many times throughout the book is why the family deserves the house when they are not the "poorest", and she frequently calls their family "lucky poor". It also briefly touches on the main character realizing that she is attracted to boys and girls, and also that her best friend is a lesbian. I think a lot middle grade students would love this graphic novel because it also parallels Cinderella.

[Rachel Nazareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It definitely had a lot of layers to it. I didn’t love that it made apartment living sound like it is totally for poor people - but that isn’t the reality of people living in Toronto.

We are middle class, but housing in Toronto is impossibly expensive. To be honest we are three people living in an apartment and it isn’t that bad. I’d rather my son go to a great school consistently than move into a house and lose all his friends and community!

Sounded like the mother in the book had a lot to handle. I’m glad she got rid of the loser father and the loser boyfriends. Maisy really went through a lot with her mothers stupid partners.

Anyway it’s a great read.

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall cute and a good story told appropriately for middle grade, but there are multiple spots where the page structure becomes jarring or there's no showing consequences to events. It would have felt more grounded in reality if there was a little more closure in sections.

More context in some sections would be helpful too, especially since this is for middle graders. As an adult I was wishing she went more into just a bit more detail in spots, which I imagine would also be helpful for middle graders who might be hearing about what the girl scouts do or seeing an Indigenous word for the first time through this book.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic memoir that focuses on the author's series of homes, including a Habitat for Humanity home. Lovie describes her family as lucky poor, because they had support outside the nuclear family. In this case, grandparents able to help with childcare, vacation options, and access to good schools and summer camps to support her brother's autism. But they're still poor, and the ongoing thread in this memoir is Lovie trying to feel at home where she lives. The writing is definitely aimed at middle grade readers, some of whom will feel seen here. The art feels more elementary, though, and I don't know if that will keep this book from finding all of its potential audience.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kid's comic about growing up poor in Canada. This was kind of a memoir and the focus keeps on changing, keeping it average instead of terrific. First it's about growing up with a single mom. Then it's about having an autistic brother. Then it's about getting a Habitat for Humanity house. Then it's about deciding to grow up to be an artist. If it had only focused on one or two of these areas, it could have been a much better comic. The art reminded me of Davey and Goliath if it had been a regular cartoon instead of stop motion animation.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mazie Lovie's graphic memoir shares her family's experience living in a Habitat for Humanity house in her childhood. This exploration of family poverty and how it shapes children is compelling and is told in an accessible way. I will say, it doesn't read like a middle grade graphic novel to me. The illustration style is simple and bold -- but doesn't look like other popular graphic novels. The narration is very obviously an adult telling stories from childhood. It works, but not for young readers.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lucky Poor is a middle grade graphic memoir of Mazie’s childhood, with a focus on the houses she lived in, including one her family received through Habitat for Humanity. I did not know before reading this that the families who receive the houses have to pay for them, in addition to their required volunteer work. I liked the illustration style. Mazie did a good job representing how the various housing styles are viewed from a child’s perspective.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read via an online reader copy though available

An introduction to five years of the author's life unfolds as we see what it really means to be part of the oxymoron "lucky poor." She never gets "oh sad me" but takes things head on and grows with the events around her. The illustrations are supportive, but do not take away from the theme, allowing the narration to flow and you to join the author on her journey.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mazie Lovie has created a simplistic memoir of some of her darker experiences growing up near the poverty line and with housing instability. She narrates her journey to stability in a clear, straightforward way, and illustrates her struggles through comics. This was a fascinating read about a difficult time in her life, and I think it would be a great windows and mirrors books for children in schools and libraries. I recommend this book to counselors and teachers.

[libreroaming · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story about how a Habitat for Humanity project helped the author, Marie, and her family move into a new home. Unfortunately, the story goes by too quickly and never really settles on a topic of her life: from dealing with her autistic brother, a terrible live in boyfriend of her mom's, to a possible bi-awakening all are given four pages maximum. A worthy story but one that never takes time to properly develop.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Even though I agree with other reviewers that it was somewhat of a choppy story that didn’t have the flow of other graphic novels, it still was interesting reading about Mazie’s family and their journey with Habitat for Humanity and all that goes along with that. Some parts of the story left me wanting more. A great read

[Books Over People · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks the Net Galley for this book. Look for a coming review on Indie Comics Spotlight on Comics in Motion https://plinkhq.com/i/1350425403?to=page

Stories like this are important. Sometimes the truth is ugly and it hurts, but people like Lovie need to keep doing this kind of work. I could relate to so much of this story. Classism is real.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book does a great job of showing the difference stable, appealing housing can have in people's lives. And I appreciate the ways Maisie thinks about poverty. That said, it does feel like a debut work -- there is so much richness that isn't explored. I look forward to seeing how her work changes in the future.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this graphic novel! Mazie has an incredible unique illustration style and a fantastic way with words, honestly recounting her childhood and growth into adolescence as a writer and artist. I was super excited to see this on display at my local library, and it didn't disappoint! The Lucky Poor is a satisfying quick read, if you are a fan of graphic novels I recommend checking it out. 🧡

[Natalie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is simple, yet fitting. The story is interesting and uplifting. Short and sweet, with a great message. My only issue is that it is portrayed as being focused on the habitat for humanity home and what that entails, however it is hardly spoken about. I wanted more depth into the topic of what it is to be "given" a home.

[The_J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm - free home, grandparents have a cabin on a lake (swamp? in Canada?), and scholarship to Art School. More than a little whiny - but at least she can bask upon her childhood recollections of statements (she finds questionable) from a man (not her father) helping to support her family and how she got to commit violence upon him. Eh.

[Mirele Kessous · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel is unique in subject matter, so that makes it valuable; however, the storyline is not particularly compelling. The characters aren't given enough time to get fleshed out, and there's not really anything hooking the reader. Grades 7 and up.