Lucky Strike

by Bobbie Pyron

Nate Harlow would love to be lucky, just once!

He'd like to win a prize, get picked first, call a coin toss right, even! But his best friend, Genesis Beam (aka Gen), believes in science and logic, and she doesn't think for one second that there's such a thing as luck, good or bad. She doesn't care what names the other kids call them. She cares about being right, about saving the turtles of Paradise Beach, and she cares about Nate.

Then, on his birthday, at the Goofy Golf mini-golf course, Nate is struck by lightning -- and survives! Suddenly baseballs are drawn to his bat - popular kids want HIM on their side. It seems the whole town of Paradise Beach thinks Nate has the magic touch.

But is there room for Gen in Nate's lucky new world?

Lucky Strike tells the unforgettable story of two vulnerable outsiders and what luck is really all about.

Genres: Middle Grade, Friendship, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fiction, Juvenile

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 2015

Reviews

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nate Harlow is the unluckiest boy in town. His toast is always burnt, and he can never call a coin correctly. He takes pictures of lost shoes, hoping that one day he can reunite a pair, that maybe that will be good luck. Then he's struck by lightning on his birthday and everything turns around.

I liked that LUCKY STRIKE was ambiguous about whether there was anything magical happening. Nate's luck (good and bad) strains credulity, as do other events in the novel, but there is no concrete statement that it is all real or all imaginary. After all, as Gen's mother points out, much of the changes in Nate's life could come from his increased self-confidence. There's a nice balance of possibility.

Pre-strike, Nate is best friends with Genesis "Gen" Beam and firm in his solidarity with her as the two biggest losers around. Post-strike, he is excited by his new opportunities to make friends and lashes out when Gen's lack of social skill makes it harder for him to fit it. It's hard to see a nice kid succumb to popularity like that, but it is believable that Nate wouldn't know how to handle all of the changes in his life gracefully. I did find it slightly awkward that LUCKY STRIKE starts switching to Gen's point of view at this point when the beginning is firmly in Nate's point of view. However, I did like that both friends get their say.

The messages of LUCKY STRIKE are pretty simple: good friends stick with you through thick and thin, and fancy new things aren't always better than what you had. There's also a good exploration of the kind of jealousy that unwarranted good fortune can engender. It's not groundbreaking stuff, but it is presented charmingly. I particularly liked the environmental element of LUCKY STRIKE. Gen is passionate about protecting the loggerhead turtles that nest on the beach.

Young readers will enjoy Nate's reversal of fortune and discovery that some things are more important than luck. LUCKY STRIKE is a cute, almost magical realist, read that does hit some deep notes.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucky Strike is your basic "outcast becomes popular, abandons his real friends for the new cool kids, and eventually learns that friendship and family are everything" story.

Though I enjoyed Nate's BFF Gen, gifted in all things practical and a lover of science and math, as an interesting foil to his "luck is everything" perspective, I couldn't find much to love about this book. The pacing is painfully slow, with not much going on in terms of plot or character development for the middle 60% of the book. Both the Nate is so super lucky and the Nate abandons his friends sections could have done without about 75 pages combined. And the turtles, which are meant to drive the plot to its climax, seem to come from no where after a one line mention earlier in the book. Writing-wise, I found the Southern quirkiness and sayings trite rather than reverent. Might appeal to 4-6th grade audience, but lacks the sophistication many upper-elementary books have in terms of avoiding an obvious ending.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great story about friendship, the power of hope, and two kids whose lives are changed when one of them gets struck by lightning. Nate is the most unlucky person ever until he survived being struck by lightning. After that his luck changes to good…always. That is good, right? Sometimes good luck is worse than bad luck… and Nate’s good luck may not be so great for his friend, Gen.

I loved the characters in this book. They were so real and likeable. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew my dad who had been raised here. It was rough growing up because I couldn’t get away with anything, but it was also nice to be part of a community. My dad was in construction and times were tough growing up financially. So I could relate to the struggles of the people in this community and also how they came together.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 clouds.

[Nick G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate is struck by lightning and it changes his life in a good and bad way. Nate is the most unlucky kid in Port Orange, Florida until he’s struck by lightning and when he recovered he is super lucky and everything goes his way. When he’s struck by lighting, he becomes popular at school. The people who bullied him become his friend. With the popularity he changes and becomes popular and mean to his best friend Gen. He realizes that the popular kids only like him because he’s super lucky, and he wishes he was friends with Gen again. Then Gen doesn’t want to be friends with him because he was mean to her.
I think the theme of the story is never think to much of yourself and stick with the friends that were with you forever before someone new. I think the genre is realistic fiction because it’s impossible to just become lucky but the setting is real and the characteristics of the character’s are real.
The internal conflict is character vs self. Nate is becoming self conscious and realizing all the popular kids only like him because he’s popular. He’s being mean to his ex best friend Gen because she is a nerd, and he’s cool now so he has to stick with the popular kids. The external coflict is character vs character. Nate is mean to Gen because she is nerdy and he is cool but he realizes that he would rather be friends with her than the other kids. She does not want to be friends with him because he was mean to her.
I really liked this book because it is related to my age group and there was friend “drama” so I understood it. I also thought it was interesting because there was always a hook. I recommend this book to kids who are in middle school because there was a lot that was based off of middle schoolers.

[Nora Grimmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book about friendship, popularity, and a little bit of luck I personally love the fact that you can always have faith in your friends even when they leave you alone.

[Keira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be a short little story, not to interesting. It surprised me and delighted me for a couple reasons. 1 it made me feel with the characters by demonstrating real problems. 2 it showed the importance of friendship and love in a way that every age would benefit from. In my opinion it is a great Christian book for kids of all ages.

[Jaina Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.


I'm beginning to feel old. Yes, old. And don't laugh at me, okay? Sixteen-year-olds are allowed to feel the effects of growing up just as much as adults - in fact, we go through more changes in a shorter amount of time than you do! So when I read a Middle Grade book, one that is targeted to an age group that I was a part of only four years ago, I get a bit nostalgic. I get nostalgic for the days when I was easily wowed, when plots never felt reused or simplistic or - perish the thought! - boring. Now that I'm older, and have read so many books, I am much more particular about the books that I read. My eyes aren't the fresh eyes of a book-loving seventh grader; they're the critical eyes of a well-read soon-to-be Senior in high school. Yes, I realize I'm exagerrating. But I'm in a reading slump right now, so this is how it feels. In a few weeks I'll be bright-eyes again, but right now the world is a well-trodden place where there is nothing new to bring to the table.

I'm sad Lucky Strike didn't bring me out of my slump, but I just didn't like the characters enough to enjoy it very much. Nate didn't really win me, and I especially didn't care much for the way he treated Gen. He's such a fair-weather friend that as soon as he gets struck by lightning, he hoofs it over to the popular kids' side. Haha, he's a "fair-weather friend" who leaves after he gets "struck by lightning!" I don't know why, but I think that's hilarious. Puns aside, though, Nate was rather an anomaly. Descriptions of Nate and Gen's past together depicted him as this great friend who stuck by Gen through thick and thin. Then we're supposed to believe that he ditches her in a really cruel way (by standing her up, barely apologizing, and then calling her a weirdo in front of all of their classmates). Then at the end - well, I won't spoil it for you, but I bet you can guess. Nate's supposed to be this nice kid who went a little popularity crazy when his luck changed, but I just don't buy it. I wish I did, though.

As for Gen, I didn't really love her either. I mean, I liked her more than Nate and I felt bad for her when he was mistreating her. But I'm so sick of the "socially disconnected" depiction of smart people that I didn't really like her as much as I could have. How come the smart person always has to be the weirdo? As a smart-ish person myself, I know this isn't always the case - when you're born, God doesn't decide between giving you scholastic or social aptitude. Being able to process large numbers in your head (definitely not a gift God has given me) does not require you to spit them out like a calculator in the middle of conversations. Caring about turtle eggs on the beach does not mean you sit on the beach 24/7 and forgo having fun with people your own age (and species).

The plot idea is a fun one, and has a lot of potential. Byron focuses on the reactions to Nate's new luck: I already discussed Nate's less-than-ideal reaction, but the far more interesting aspect of the story is everyone else's reaction. Any time one person seems to have an advantage in this world, we seem to break into two groups: the beggers and the haters. The beggars are the people who swarm Nate, asking him to do things for them or play on their team or come ride in their fishing boat. They want some of Nate's luck to rub off on them, so they scurry to stay on his good side. Everone else despises Nate for being so successful. When he and his grandfather have a run of fabulous luck, the other men of the village become bitter that Nate's grandfather is getting everything. They become bitter, behaving meanly to both Nate and his grandfather, because they are swept away in the feeling that an injustice is being done them.

Honestly, the more I think about it the less I liked Lucky Strike. There's nothing so wrong with it that I would consciously refuse to recommend it, but there's also nothing so positive about it that I would go out of my way to suggest it to others. I may hand it off to my middle grade-aged brother if he seems interested, but I won't push it onto him. And who knows, he may like it much more than I did.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask anybody in Paradise Beach who is the unluckiest of them all, they’d unanimously offer the name, Nathaniel Harlow.

Nate is so unlucky when he tries to toast some bread, it doesn’t come out burnt, the toaster shorts out instead. Every box of cracker jacks is consumed with no prize in the bottom.

So who would be the unlucky person to get struck by lightning on his eleventh birthday but Nate. Yep. while playing goofy golf, a bolt came down and blew him clear oot of his favorite red sneakers.

Now that’s not the way it was supposed to work. For the first time ever, when Nate made a fervent wish and blew the candles out on his birthday cake, they all went out. Not one flame stayed lit. Shouldn’t that mean his wish had come true? His luck had changed? I wouldn’t call lightning zapping him lucky.

Perhaps his luck did change though. He did survive to see more birthdays. And then more lucky things began to happen to Nate and soon he was the most popular person in Paradise Beach.

But is he truly lucky? His best friend, Genesis Beam, doesn’t think so. She’s been friends with Nate for a long time and being a science geek, she doesn’t believe in luck. She just tells him the odds are in his favor for good things to happen. We shall see.

Nate is a delightful boy. He remained positive even though he was unlucky. He never gave up hoping for better. And his friend Genesis. She’s such a cute thing. Both are the outsiders. The ones the others bully and make fun of.

I was worried about their friendship when Nate became popular. I didn’t want him to lose such a loyal friend or abandon their plight to save the sea turtles. Childhood friends are precious and can last a lifetime.

Lucky Strike is a gem. Friendships are tested and new ones are forged. It’s a story of learning to see what’s in front of you and hold tight to it. Sometimes wanting something more shows you’ve had it all along.

My son read this after I did. He’s a bit older than the recommended reading age for this story but he loved it too. We talked about luck and friends, family and how things change over time. Our reminiscing was another gem I discovered from sharing this book with him and we both feel “Lucky” to have read it.

I received this book for my honest review.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucky Strike (not to be confused with Lucky Strikes, which I read a few days ago) is basically a story about friendship--what happens when the cool kids start to like you (even if it's for the wrong reasons)? Nate and Gen are quirky and dorky but fit together...but when Nate finds a weird kind of fame after being struck by lightning, their friendship becomes strained, and Nate discovers that luck and fame aren't really all they're cut out to be. Nothing particularly hard-hitting or deep in this one; it's cute and short and will be great for reluctant readers.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Cute, I suppose, but no real lesson & ridiculously predictable. Can imagine young readers enjoying it, I suppose, but by 5th grade I think they’d want something with more meat. Would have liked more conflict with the other kids or more info about turtles... more of anything, really.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy whose toast is always burnt. A boy who can never call a coin flip. A boy who couldn’t hit a baseball. A boy who hope that one day he can reunite two missing shoes. This boy would want to be lucky just once. Then he gets struck by lightning. Then his luck starts to change and he becomes popular. After getting struck, he starts to leave his old friends in the dust. He stops helping his best friend Gen watch for the turtles. This boy is Nate Harlow.

This book is named “Lucky Strike” by Bobbie Pyron. It is a fiction book which in my opinion is really good. As a seventh grader, I would say it is an easier book than others and is 260 pages. Bobbie Pyron has other books like “The Ring” and “A Pup Called Trouble”. This book is like many other fiction books, it has adventure and there is a problem that occurs in it. The ages of this book are eight to thirteen years old.

The main characters of this book are Nate, Gen, and Chum. Some of the secondary characters are Ricky, Nate’s Grandpa, Ruthie, Rebecca, and Reverend Beam. All of these characters are humans and not monsters or aliens. They all act like good people but they have times when they are mean and evil. I would say they are all like able characters, maybe not at the beginning but at the end. Personally I liked Chum the best because he was nice and wanted to help out on almost anything. Though he came a big part about halfway through the book, he was my favorite. There two problems that needed to be solved in the story. They had to save the turtles and get through getting struck by lightning.

Paradise Beach is a small town with many friendly people, this year there was a very interesting year. On Nate Harlow’s birthday he goes mini golfing with his friends. When he got to the last hole he was about to hit the ball but instead lightening came out of the clear blue sky and struck him indirectly. His best friend Gen helped him stay alive until the ambulance came. He was in the hospital for a few days recovering and had an L and a Y scarred on his arm. Then he started realizing he had good luck instead bad luck. His toast came out perfect, he found a few pairs of missing shoes, he started hitting the baseball, and started winning coin tosses. Then a hurricane started coming in and things did not go well. Gen was outside during the hurricane to save the turtle eggs that had been laid. Nate was looking for her at the time and finally found but then... you will have to read the book to find out.

The theme of this book is friends always stick together. That’s not what Nate did with Gen. They were best friends and then Nate got struck with lightning and became famous in his town. The cool kids wanted to hang with him so that’s what Nate did. He stopped hanging out with Gen so she made another friend that would do what Nate and her did. That new friend was Chum. I’m sure you can guess the ending by the theme.

[Fares Haddad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucky strike writing by Kim Robinson, is a very bad book because it is really easy to predict what is going to happen next without you even looking for stuff to know what is happening next. The book is really boring there are no actions in it. It is the same thing repeating and repeating. Which is Nates life being bad, and how everyone hates him. That is for the most part of the book, but for the last pages, he gets hit by a strike. Then all of a sudden, his life is good and he’s happy ad he loves his parents. You can basically know the whole book from the synopsis. This book could be used to fool a teacher as if you read but you really did no because it is easy. Just by the title you predict the book. Nate was in the bed dreaming of bad guys, when he thought to himself “A thug. In peacetime Fitch would be hanging around a pool table giving the cops trouble. He was perfect for war.” (123). This quote shows how Nate started to think that he is good, and how other people are worse than him. Nate talking to his grandpa about his grandpa’s life, “so that as more years passed and the survivors aged, bodies falling apart, lives in one rut or another, they would unconsciously push harder and harder to thrust the world into war again,” (154). This quote shows how Nate is bonding with his grandpa more after he got hit by the strike. I think that people should not read this book because it makes you depressed and hate life like Nate.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nate has been unlucky for as long as he can remember, beginning with when his parents, who never drank, were killed by a drunk driver. He's always been unpopular at school. He can't hit a baseball to save his life. More recently his grandfather's fishing business is tanking. The one bright spot in his life is his best friend, Genesis. She doesn't judge him and she's super smart, always trying to convince him that there's no such thing as luck. According to her, it all comes down to probability, even though Nate is consistently out of sync with her calculations.

His luck changes on his birthday. While playing mini-golf, he's struck by lightning and miraculously survives. But that's not the only miracle. Suddenly the town is rallying around him. His grandfather's business is booming. Kids like him. He's good at baseball. In fact, he brings luck to everyone he meets. The problem is Gen. She's still unpopular and he's going to have to make some decisions about her if he wants to hang with the popular kids.

For the most part, I found this story to be fairly unremarkable. The opening pages don't particularly grab you and I don't expect to retain much memory of this story once a few months have passed. I found myself drifting off at times while trying to get through this one. It's a nice idea. We all want to root for the underdog. It's nice when the kid on the bottom moves to the top. Not a bad book, but also not one that stands out in the crowd.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny, has great characters, an interesting story, and some great science connections. It is perfect for any elementary teacher looking for an interesting and fun book to read with students to discuss theme, symbolism or characters. Or lightning, electricity, string theory, conservation and turtles.
The two main characters are unique and interesting. They have such a generosity of spirit that the reader is immediately on their side. Nate photographs single shoes "mysteriously separated from their mates." At first, he brought all the single shoes home hoping to find the mates, but that stopped when the trailer he shares with his grandfather was overrun with shoes. Nate believes that lost shoes are important, and he has faith that eventually the other shoe will be found. He has that same faith in people and experiences. His best friend Genesis is very smart, dedicated to, and sacrifices for, turtles, and has a wonderfully supportive and funny family. And who knew that sand castles were dangerous to the loggerhead turtles coming up on the sand to lay eggs?

[Amanda Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nate has never been particularly lucky. His parents died when he was four and his dog was carried away in a tornado. His only friend, Gen, is the smartest - and quite possibly the strangest - girl in Paradise Beach. Both Nate and Gen are subjected to bullying from their classmates, but they don't really care, living by the motto "Weirdos and losers stick together through thick and through thin." All that changes, however, when Nate is struck by lightning on his 11th birthday. Suddenly, his life is filled with good luck and his former tormentors want to be his friend. Instead of helping Gen protect the loggerhead turtles as they arrive on shore to lay their eggs, Nate begins to spend all his free time with the boys. It isn't long, though, before Nate begins to wonder if too much good luck might not be such a good thing after all. Is there a way to reverse the effects of being struck by lightning? There's only one person Nate trusts to have the answer.

Interesting story about friendship with likable characters that will make students think about what it really means to be lucky.

[Reese V.]

“Lucky Strike” by Bobbie Pyron is a book about a young boy named Nate (Nathaniel) Harlow. The most unlucky boy in all of Florida or even “the world”. On Nate’s birthday, he went mini-golfing with his best friend Gen (Genesis Beam). It was a beautiful day, out of nowhere Nate was struck by lightning. It was a miracle he was alive and awake. But after this traumatic event, Nate has left the luckiest boy in all of Florida. Nate's grandpa becomes the best fisherman around and Nate becomes the most popular kid at school. While he might be popular he is losing his closest friend Gen. Not only that, there is a big hurricane heading his way. Nate is now going to need a miracle to rescue his town and his friendship. This book was really interesting and it kept me wanting to read. This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I loved the way it left me on the edge of my seat. The theme of this book was when you start to change just remember the people that helped you change into the person you are today.

[Jennifer Notton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron is about Nate Harlow who lives with his grandfather in a trailer park down in Florida. Nate has always been unlucky and he thinks he always will be unlucky. He really wants this one prize but he thinks he won’t get it because he isn’t lucky enough to win it. His friend, Gen, who loves science, thinks that luck is really true but Nate doesn’t.

On Nate’s birthday at the Goofy Golf mini-golf course, he gets struck by lightning and he survives it. Then the next day he feels strange because all of the popular kids want to be his friends. Baseballs are drawn to his bat so he hits every baseball but before he couldn’t do that. The problem is that Nate could not be lucky forever as he wishes he could be.

I would rate this book 5 stars. People who like mysterious books and fantasy/fiction because Nate feels unlucky and then one day he is popular and now is feeling lucky.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this 2015 novel by Bobbie Pryor because her more recent book, “Stay” has been selected as a 2020 Texas Bluebonnet nominee and my library patrons who read that one are likely to want more books by its author. “Lucky Strike” is a nearly realistic fiction book that will leave readers with a warm heart and a satisfied sigh. Best friends and fellow school misfits Nate and Gen stick together through thick and thin and lightning strikes, but their friendship almost withers when popularity is abruptly thrust upon suddenly lucky charm Nate. Middle grade readers who enjoy books by Joan Bauer, Barbara O’Connor and Lisa Graff are sure to love this one. Librarians and parents will appreciate a solid plot with themes of friendship and family ties but without any profanity, sexual conduct, or violence.

[Miss B · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are the chances of being struck by lightning? Genesis Beam can answer that. Though it comes as no surprise that 11 year old Nate Harlow is struck by lightning and on his birthday nonetheless. He is, after all, the unluckiest person anyone in their small town of just over 700 people knows. So unlucky that his hound dog previously got snatched up and carried away by a tornado. So unlucky that Nate has never won a coin toss in all of his 11 years. The lightning strike changes Nate's luck though and with that comes changes in Nate and Gen's friendship. This is a light hearted story with the power of friendship firmly at its centre. The aspects of small town living and nesting loggerhead turtles give this book a little more depth. I think kids in grades 4-6 will enjoy this one.

[Rose]

The book lucky strike is about a boy Nate and a girl Gen, and before you ask no this is not a romance. Nate is a kid with generally bad luck. "Bad luck seemed to dog Nate Harlow´s heels like his long-lost hound." Now some people believe in luck whether it's good or bad. But on the other hand, some people don´t, like Gen. Personally, hearing some of Nate´s problems, it has to be bad luck. Anyway one day on Nate´s birthday he becomes lucky after getting struck by lightning. Now everyone in his town loves him. The whole world seemed to change and Nate´s life is amazing until suddenly Gen isn´t really in the picture. Does Nate care more about Gen or being popular? I 100 percent recommend this book. It's an easy, interesting, tv show like book that I found very enjoyable.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you believe in luck? Good luck? Bad luck? Nate is certain he has the worst luck in the world, despite the rabbit's foot his grandpa gave him. Nate only has one friend...a weirdo as strange as Nate...but Gen, the smartest girl in town, absolutely does not believe in luck...only science and probability.

A story of friendship, jealousy, the bad luck that comes with bad luck. A story of reaching past the comfortable, and doing what is right.

The question, "do you believe in luck." is not definitively answered...instead, the magic and luck are there for us to embrace or ignore.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell right into this beautiful story because I have been on the Sweet Jodie fishing boat and celebrated the Billy Bowlegs Festival. I love that this story has great characters who question everything from luck to science to friendship. I'm sure my fifth graders will enjoy this fast-paced story. I hope they are able to make connections and discover new questions as well.
"If you are lucky enough to have a friend, you are lucky enough."

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 3 out of 5]

JF book that I read aloud to the rest of the family as we traveled Iowa. Nate Harlowe was always unlucky--until he got struck by lightning, and suddenly seemed to be the luckiest boy in town. His best friend is very analytical, and she doesn't believe in luck. The change in circumstance strains their relationship.

I liked the way the author really grounded this book in a sense of place; it's definitely set in small-town Florida, and it shows in the details.

[Chris Fike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron is about a boy named Nate who is very "unlucky". He has never called a coin toss correctly, never been picked first for a baseball game, or won a prize. Until on his birthday, he is struck by lightning out of the blue at the mini-golf course. Then his luck seems to change... and he becomes the most popular kid in school, and he loves it. Until he almost loses his best friend. If you love comedy, and stories about underdogs, then this book is for you.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison and I read this book together for a book club group at the library. I really liked this book. The theme of friendship and what is most important in life was important for us to share together. I also enjoyed all the spiritualism in it. “Nobody is ever happy with what the lord has blessed them with.” A great line from the book.

[Jayda Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recomend this book because it sends a great message: hold on to and cherish what you have. This book tells an amazing story about 2 best freinds and how they both get stuck by lightning. Like I said it sends a great message and will have you hooked, and if you are emotional it might just make you cry.

[Jonah Negris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Nate who is very unlucky. First his parents die then on his birthday he gets struck by lightning. His best friend name Genesis calculated the probability of that happening to someone and the odds were very low. More unlucky things happen to him as this story continues. Overall I enjoyed this book and I would recommend reading this book.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The 10-year-old and I liked this story but didn't love it. It takes place in our home state of Florida and touched on many themes familiar to us -- like sea turtles, sandy beaches, and hurricanes.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I'm really struggling to love some of these William Allen White Book Award nominations. :( Am I expecting too much? Is it me? Maybe I'll go into the next one with less expectations and maybe I'll enjoy it more.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story about friendship and community. I enjoyed the unique and interesting characters and setting. Hits all the right notes for kids that age learning how to navigate friendship and popularity.