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Sossi Family #4
Tough-Luck Karen
This fourth novel about the popular Sossi family focuses on 13-year-old Karen and the bad luck she encounters when she ignores her schoolwork for cooking and babysitting.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Johanna Hurwitz
115 books67 followersJohanna Hurwitz is an American author of more than sixty children's books. She has sold millions of books in many different languages.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 30, 2019
One of the books of my youth about a girl- just like me! Who gets into trouble with babysitting- just like . . . not me, who hated babysitting! But I would read any book that wasn't about a dog or a horse dying, so this was . . . fine.
November 27, 2018
Karen had a hard time with her schoolwork since her family had moved. She felt like she was in a slump and had a hard time adjusting. Till she started babysitting and that had to be taken away so she can learn that school work was as important if not more important than babysitting. Karen had came up with a great idea for her science project thanks to her mom and younger brother Aldo. Moral of the story don't let change and a little bad luck to take over your life.
April 13, 2024
In 1982 Scholastic Inc released Apple Paperbacks children’s book edition “Tough-Luck Karen” authored by Johanna Hurwitz and illustrated by Diane de Groat. Karen Sossi is a 13 year old eighth grade student whose parents and two siblings moved from New York City to a suburban New Jersey city. Karen struggled in her new school to have friendships, bond with teachers, and make passing grades. She lis often inattentive, but she loves baking breads, babysitting, and writing “chain letters” to strangers. Every day for Karen is a day of hardship and extreme loneliness. However, at a Halloween party her life begins to change when she meets and bonds with a new acquaintance, Her science teacher Mrs Nesbitt hosted the party and Karen gave her a wonderful cake she baked for the party. Her science teacher and classmates “loved” the delicious cake. A few weeks after the party, she bonded with two year old Keith Collins while babysitting for the Collin’s family. Karen’s new friendships, bonding with Keith, chain writing letters, and baking skills have an amazing impact on her abilities to demonstrate her talents and dramatically improved her performance as a student and making friends. Very quickly, Karen’s tough-luck ends and her life changes in a wonderful and very dramatic way. (P)
April 29, 2019
The book TOUGH LUCK KAREN by Johanna Hurwitz. The main character is Karen and her family mainly. Karen’s a 13 year old girl struggling to keep her grades up and her life together.
Karen’s growing up and she’s have trouble doing so. She gets a big responsibility of working as a baby sitter. At the beginning of the book she get junk mail to send out a letter or get bad luck and she refused to send the letter bc it was just junk mail.
I think the book had a good ending. The book showed a caring family. I really liked This book. My favorite part of this book was when she accidentally put a five dollar bill in the mail instead of the letter so she had to wait for the mail man to retrieve it.
I liked this book. A book similar to this is The Law of Gravity. I think younger readers around 11 or 12 would like this book and enjoy it.
Karen’s growing up and she’s have trouble doing so. She gets a big responsibility of working as a baby sitter. At the beginning of the book she get junk mail to send out a letter or get bad luck and she refused to send the letter bc it was just junk mail.
I think the book had a good ending. The book showed a caring family. I really liked This book. My favorite part of this book was when she accidentally put a five dollar bill in the mail instead of the letter so she had to wait for the mail man to retrieve it.
I liked this book. A book similar to this is The Law of Gravity. I think younger readers around 11 or 12 would like this book and enjoy it.
December 28, 2020
3.5 stars.
January 29, 2019
This book is just what I needed, a funny, light hearted book. I was in need of a light hearted book because the last two books I read were really deep and had me kind of down. I really enjoyed this book, one because it has my name in it and two because it was very entertaining. The author did a good job making this book interesting and full of action. This book was very well written and I don’t think she could change anything to make this book better. All of the elements were realistic. Happy Reading!
November 12, 2022
Library copy
Sigh. Clearly dated, but exactly the kind of book I loved when I was 12.
Sigh. Clearly dated, but exactly the kind of book I loved when I was 12.
December 13, 2024
Now, I’ve read Tough-Luck Karen by Johanna Hurwitz more than once, and I’ve found plenty of good and positive things about it. For one thing, the main protagonist, Karen Sossi, is pretty neat. If there were a few parts I like re-reading in this book sometimes, it would be these:
While the dough was rising, Karen returned to her homework. She felt so relaxed that she didn’t even mind doing her math problems. Ever since the Halloween party, she had become fond of Mrs. Nesbitt, and even if she got the problems wrong, she didn’t want to disappoint her by not doing the assigned work. (p. 137)
The bell rang. The science period was over, and the time had come to leave. Karen gathered her bowls and ingredients together. “That was an excellent report,” said Ms. Drangle. “The idea was very creative. I didn’t know that you were so interested in cooking,” she said, smiling at her student.
“Oh, I love cooking,” said Karen. “I want to be a chef when I grow up.”
“I think you’re a chef already if you can make such good bread,” said Ms. Drangle. “My cousin studied at the CIA for a while. She is interested in cooking too.”
“The CIA? Those are spies. Does she spy on other cooks for their recipes?” Karen asked in amazement.
Ms. Drangle laughed. “This is a different CIA,” she explained. “Culinary Institute of America. It’s a wonderful cooking school. Perhaps you’d like to go there after you finish high school.”
Karen beamed. She would love to study at the CIA. (p. 154-155)
Finally, dismissal time came. All the students ran to their buses, eager for the holidays to begin. None of the teachers had assigned homework.
Karen had difficulty managing all her packages. Although she no longer had the two loaves of bread or the dough, which she had disposed of because it was ruined from exposure to the morning air, she still had the bowl, the bag of flour, and all the other things that she had taken out of her locker. All lockers always had to be completely emptied before school vacations. With her arms full, she awkwardly squeezed into a seat next to another girl.
Only after a couple of minutes had passed and the bus was moving along did Karen realize that she was sitting on the pocketbook that Elaine had given her. She took it out from under her and opened the bag to check on the contents.
“Oh, look,” she said, as she showed her seatmate. “I sat on my pocketbook, and I broke the little mirror inside.”
“Are you superstitious?” asked the girl. “They say it can bring you seven years of bad luck.”
“With my luck it will be fourteen,” said Karen.
But as she sat in her seat gathering the shards of the little mirror together, she realized that what she’d said wasn’t true at all.
Her bad luck this fall she had brought on herself. The broken chain letters had seemed a good reason for her misfortunes, but she knew now that she could only blame herself. She had been lazy and careless. How could she expect to pass in school if she didn’t even try to hand in her assignments on time? Good luck was like making bread. It took time and effort.
“No, I take that back,” said Karen to her seatmate. “I’m not superstitious at all. In fact, even though the mirror is broken, I think I’m going to be having some good luck now.” She smiled to herself. She was sure of it. (p. 156-157)
I highly recommend this book to those who like books about high school, cooking or both. And I give it five stars as well (although ten stars would be even better). 🪄😎🍞
While the dough was rising, Karen returned to her homework. She felt so relaxed that she didn’t even mind doing her math problems. Ever since the Halloween party, she had become fond of Mrs. Nesbitt, and even if she got the problems wrong, she didn’t want to disappoint her by not doing the assigned work. (p. 137)
The bell rang. The science period was over, and the time had come to leave. Karen gathered her bowls and ingredients together. “That was an excellent report,” said Ms. Drangle. “The idea was very creative. I didn’t know that you were so interested in cooking,” she said, smiling at her student.
“Oh, I love cooking,” said Karen. “I want to be a chef when I grow up.”
“I think you’re a chef already if you can make such good bread,” said Ms. Drangle. “My cousin studied at the CIA for a while. She is interested in cooking too.”
“The CIA? Those are spies. Does she spy on other cooks for their recipes?” Karen asked in amazement.
Ms. Drangle laughed. “This is a different CIA,” she explained. “Culinary Institute of America. It’s a wonderful cooking school. Perhaps you’d like to go there after you finish high school.”
Karen beamed. She would love to study at the CIA. (p. 154-155)
Finally, dismissal time came. All the students ran to their buses, eager for the holidays to begin. None of the teachers had assigned homework.
Karen had difficulty managing all her packages. Although she no longer had the two loaves of bread or the dough, which she had disposed of because it was ruined from exposure to the morning air, she still had the bowl, the bag of flour, and all the other things that she had taken out of her locker. All lockers always had to be completely emptied before school vacations. With her arms full, she awkwardly squeezed into a seat next to another girl.
Only after a couple of minutes had passed and the bus was moving along did Karen realize that she was sitting on the pocketbook that Elaine had given her. She took it out from under her and opened the bag to check on the contents.
“Oh, look,” she said, as she showed her seatmate. “I sat on my pocketbook, and I broke the little mirror inside.”
“Are you superstitious?” asked the girl. “They say it can bring you seven years of bad luck.”
“With my luck it will be fourteen,” said Karen.
But as she sat in her seat gathering the shards of the little mirror together, she realized that what she’d said wasn’t true at all.
Her bad luck this fall she had brought on herself. The broken chain letters had seemed a good reason for her misfortunes, but she knew now that she could only blame herself. She had been lazy and careless. How could she expect to pass in school if she didn’t even try to hand in her assignments on time? Good luck was like making bread. It took time and effort.
“No, I take that back,” said Karen to her seatmate. “I’m not superstitious at all. In fact, even though the mirror is broken, I think I’m going to be having some good luck now.” She smiled to herself. She was sure of it. (p. 156-157)
I highly recommend this book to those who like books about high school, cooking or both. And I give it five stars as well (although ten stars would be even better). 🪄😎🍞
November 19, 2012
Got this book in grade 6 when our teacher retired. Still have it lol. I really like this book cause it gave me some tips to bread making. Didn't like how Karen was really whiny sometimes. JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK, then you won't be behind! Jeez!
Read this when I have nothing else to read. I just look back at the funny parts. (EX: Keif/Keith powder, Karen unpowder)
Read this when I have nothing else to read. I just look back at the funny parts. (EX: Keif/Keith powder, Karen unpowder)
April 29, 2009
A really good one for Baby-Sitters Club fans, and this Karen (unlike Brewer, yechh) was a really great character - I love how she was so into her cooking :) I just wish I could find the other Sossi family books, since apparently this is #4!
May 14, 2016
I picked this up free somewhere and skimmed through it to see if it was fun for my younger sisters. Surprisingly especially for a book of this era, it had nothing bad in it. It was kind of funny and relateable. Nothing you HAVE to read, but still okay.
December 13, 2007
i read this when i was like 8. fun times.
February 1, 2010
Another childhood favorite
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews