Beyond Lucky

by Sarah Aronson

Ari Fish believes in two his hero-Wayne Timcoe, the greatest soccer goalie to ever come out of Somerset Valley-and luck. So when Ari finds a rare and valuable Wayne Timcoe trading card, he's sure his luck has changed for the better. Especially when he's picked to be the starting goalie on his team. But when the card is stolen-and his best friend and the new girl on the team accuse each other of taking it-suddenly Ari can't save a goal, everyone is fighting, and he doesn't know who, or what, to believe in.

Before the team falls apart, Ari must learn how to make his own luck, and figure out what it truly means to be a hero.

Genres: Sports, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Soccer, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Sarah Aronson began writing for kids and teens when someone in an exercise class dared her to try. Since then, she has earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

She loves working with writers at The Highlights Foundation and writers.com.

Her books include:
Head Case
Beyond Lucky
Believe
The Wish List series, and
Just Like Rube Goldberg--winner of the Crystal Kite (Midwest)!

Brand New Bubbe arrives Aug 23!
Find out more: http://www.saraharonson.com.

Reviews

[Barb Middleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was corny. It’s about a girl who is not accepted as a teammate on an all boys team. As a competitive soccer player I found the voice not authentic but I liked the Jewish cultural aspect in the story.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously, it's about soccer. It's also about friendships and how complicated they can be in middle school. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and was surprised by the turn of events a few times.

One thing bugs me: Ari compares things to a sine graph. Kids in middle school don't know what that is yet.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

good voice; good message; good conclusion, but it took awhile getting there.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari Fish wants to be the starting goalie for his soccer team. His best friend, Mac, is their star striker. When Ari acquires the trading car for his all time favorite soccer star he believes it will bring him the luck he needs...and everything DOES seem to be going his way. But then the card disappears and Ari faces the question of who took it? All signs point to his best friend, Mac, but he's blaming the Parker (the only girl on the all-boys soccer team whom he resents). Will his luck change? Will he get the card back? Will the mystery be solved? Life offers us more lessons than we sometimes want to learn. Soccer fans will really love this book, and so will anyone who has ever wondered what does it mean to be a friend?

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adult rating: 3
Kid rating: 4

Ari believes his friend Mac has all the luck, especially when it comes to soccer. Then Ari finds a rare trading card for his hero, Wayne Timcoe, and his luck starts changing. He gets the starting goalkeeper position and he's playing better than ever. Then the card goes missing and Ari feels his luck going down the drain. Parker, the only girl on the team, claims Mac took it. Mac, who isn't happy about a girl on the team, says Parker took it. Ari is torn. He doesn't know who to believe.

Soccer players will definitely like this book. There is a lot of soccer action, as well as a good story about sports card collecting and girls playing on boys' teams. Ari is Jewish, which plays out in the background.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, heartwarming MG story about the meaning of teamwork and a boy who learns that he makes his own luck. But this story goes beyond luck. So many layers. And characters you can root for. Features a Jewish male protagonist named Ari who just happens to be preparing for his bar mitzvah while trying to achieve his goal of not only being the starting goalie for his soccer team but leading them to a championship. Great for middle grade readers who are navigating changing friendships and alliances.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought the book was a little too detailed in soccer, but I really found myself connecting with the characters. There were some aspects that were predictable, but I liked the multiple story lines. The quotes from the presidents was a great touch. I read it out loud to 4th and 5th graders, and they seemed to really enjoy it. Sarah Aronson is coming to our school next week. I am anxious for her to talk about the book.

[I Trump · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari is a sweetheart. His problems felt realistic with sports, family, and friends. Each was layered and didn't have easy fixes, or even the "right" solution. Ari didn't always make the right decisions, but they made sense for him. I like that he had to think about what makes a hero, is it hard work/skill/luck that contributes to success, and personal vs team success. Also like how Judaism wove in. The title is perfect as what it means to be Beyond Lucky changes for Ari.

[Liam Harty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Ari thinks that his friend Mac has luck and he doesn't. But Ari finds a Wayne Timcoe trading card his luck begins to boost. He gets the starting goalkeeper for his soccer team. His luck is going great until the card goes missing. The girl on the team says Mac took it but Mac says she took it. He doesn't know who to trust. People who play soccer will really enjoy this book so will people that are soccer fans.

[Tiffany Painter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun kid read about friendship and growing up. It offered many of the typical things in a middle grade book when life gets complicated and friends don’t act they way they should. What was unique about this book was how it addressed a friendship that ran its course and couldn’t survive a simple apology. Not all childhood friendships will last forever, and that’s okay.

[Charlotte Friend · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me look at sports book’s different it was that bad do not read!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Ruben Botello · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever thought you were lucky because you found a dollar or something special. Will this kind lucky was the lucky charm and not just any a lucky charm a Wayne Timcoe trading card. This genre is a realistic Fiction book. **** spoil alert****** This card of Wayne Timcoe is a worth of a lot of money and everyone wants it.


This book is about this guy name Ari Fish, he is a goalie who wants to player starter for his team. He wants to be able to play with his best friend Mac. Mac is the best player on the team, he helps Ari with he's game when he needs to. So when trouts are coming up Ari is committed to trying out so he can play with he's best friend Mac. So when tryouts comes in Ari doesn't make team so he's mad he doesn't make it. When suddenly he buys packs of soccer trading cards and a Wayne Timcoe card is in one of those packs and hes luck changes. He gets a call from hes coach talking about hes on the team and hes luck changes. He becomes the best player ever and is able to block of the shots and even hes friend Mac. At ever game Ari brings a envelop with hes brothers cards (Sam he doesn't live with them and he spends his days rescuing people from wild fires in California) and hes lucky Wayne card. So during one of his games Ari cant find his card so the only person that he could think of that stoled the card is Mac. So will he be able to get his card back and who had taken it? I think this person vs person because someone had taken the card which had created thr conflict between Ari and the person who took it.


I really liked how when before games Ari would count presidents and well do push ups before each game that would be his before game rituals. Another think i liked is how everyone thought the card was good luck except Mac because he thought it wasn't true.


One think i didn't like about the book which is not a big deal but they could of use a different soccer player someone who is really know like Pele or Messi. One think i really liked about this book is the details of how the character acted to ever event.


I rate this book a 5 out of 5 because i really liked everything of this book because if you like soccer you would rally like this. I would recommend this book to all my soccer fans. Remember its not the charm that makes you lucky its really just a extra boost to you .

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari Fish is an avid soccer player, big Wayne Temcoe fan, presidential trivia fanatic and a firm believer in luck. He has a set of rituals before every game that he must do or else. Then one day he finds a rare Temcoe trading card and believes his luck has skyrocketed. Suddenly he is playing better than ever as the starter goalie, he has girls talking to him and everything seems to be going great. Then his card is stolen. Suddenly his luck changes; he is fighting with his best friend Mac (who he thinks stole the card), the team is falling apart and his brother Sam (who is a smokejumper in California)isn't contacting him. He has to figure out how to change his luck before everything truly falls apart.

I liked Ari; he is different from a lot of characters in these books. I liked that he was Jewish and preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. There are lots of references to his faith that I think were really interesting. I also really enjoyed his family; they are regular people with regular problems. I also thought the kids in the book acted like regular kids. They were petty and jealous and folded under peer pressure. Middle school is rough and these kids acted just like I remember kids acting.

I have to admit I am not a soccer fan or a sports fan for that matter. So the sports stuff was a little boring for me. However, I think fans of the game will enjoy it. I also thought Mac as a character was pretty predictable. You could see exactly how that story was going to play out from early on. However, I thought the book was really well written and a great book for sports fans and boys.

[A.C. Gaughen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book!!

Ari Fish is a really superstitious kid with a seemingly limitless wealth of information about (and slight obsession with) the US Presidents. He's also a young Jewish boy preparing for his bar mitzvah, a younger brother missing his older brother, and a soccer player gearing up for his first starting season. When he finds a trading card for his soccer idol and local hometown legend, his lucky streak begins and everything starts going Ari's way.

Of course, luck runs out, and when he loses the card, his life turns upside down and the worst things possible go wrong. His friendships and soccer career are all on the line, but when something more important might fall victim to his bad luck, Ari has to move forward and figure out what there is beyond luck.

I'm a twentysomething Catholic girl, so it's a little strange to say that I found myself really identifying with Ari, but it's totally true. Ari is right at that moment when you're going from kid to teenager, from knowing absolutely everything about the way the world works to finding out that you don't know much at all, and moving through those first experiences that test your friendships, love, and faith.

The book is so fast paced and fun, and I felt like all the characters were someone I knew when I was growing up. This is just a really special, really sweet book (okay, yes, it also had me crying at one crucial moment) and I heartily recommend it!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ari Fish, a middle school soccer player, faces trouble with his big-shot friend when a girl joins the team. Ari finds his favorite soccer star's trading card and believes that it makes his luck improves dramatically. His best friend, Mac, struggles with his family and accepting changes with the soccer team. Sam, Ari's brother, has dropped out of college and is pursuing a dangerous and exciting job as a smoke jumper. And finally, as a young Jewish boy, Ari is thinking about his upcoming bar mitzvah. There's a lot going on in the book and Aronson does a beautiful job of keeping the plot clear and flowing.

While the characters and plot are done well, I found the writing a bit stiff. The dialog didn't seem particularly realistic. I also found that Ari's struggle with his friend at the end of the book missed the mark a bit. I am kind of tired of plot lines in which a kid's parent tells them to do the right thing and then the kid tries to figure out what the right thing is while working up the courage to do anything. Finally, the fact that the book focuses so much on soccer is both a strength and a weakness -- it makes the book more appealing for readers that love sports but it's also a turnoff for kids that aren't interested in sports.

I would purchase this book for grades 5 - 7 only if the characters reflect your school population -- young, Jewish boys who love playing competitive sports, particularly soccer. I liked the book okay, even if I didn't love it.

[BookChic Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Aronson's debut Head Case and was really looking forward to reading her follow-up. This is a complete 180 from her debut and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't quite pulled in from the beginning (perhaps because I'm not much of a sports fan) but as I got further into the story, I got invested in Ari and the other characters. Aronson's first foray into middle-grade fiction is spectacular; she really nails the voice, the emotions, and the situations that happen as kids grow up. Their interactions all felt realistic.

I really liked the presidential quotes at the beginning of each chapter. It was a nice little touch because Ari has a thing for the US presidents and knows a lot about them. He even includes them in his pre-game rituals. I also have to say that I teared up a bit toward the end of the book and that almost never happens.

I honestly don't know what else to say about this book. I think it's fantastic and that pre-teens (especially boys, of course) will really enjoy it. Definitely a book to check out!

[Sebastian Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like soccer if you do then this is your book. This book genre is Realistic Fiction because it talks teenagers that like soccer but are not real people.In my opinion this book relates to me because it talks about a 14 year old teenager that wants to be a starter goalie but there is another goalie and brags a lot and is a better player two.

The setting of this book is at a soccer field and at school. The major events of this story is when Ari finds a Lucky Card of Wayne Tomcoe and this card made him be a starter in first divison for the first time and his enemy gets injured and can't play for 2 seasons. The conflicts in this storys are Person vs Person. Witch is Ari Fish vs Mac Macdonald Mac was mean with Ari for not being starter and then karma gets him and he gets injured for 2 seasons.

In my opinion this book is amazing because the author including how a girl called parker be the first girl ever to play in 1st division soccer. I also like it how the author made karma hit somebody in a good way for being a jerk to the whole team.

[Aaron Intharaphet · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reaction to the book was that it was very interesting and a little suspenseful and I like it because I like soccer. This reminds me of me when I play soccer because I sometimes get very competitive and other things like that in the book. An important lesson I learned is that you have to trust your friends and don't always assume things. A lingering question I have is what will Ari the main character do with his lucky card he used for soccer. The main characters changed throughout the story because they became enemies and friends and became better at soccer. My favorite part was when Ari got his lucky card because he suddenly became way better at soccer. I chose to read this book because I loke soccer it is my favorite sport.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book especially easy to read as the narrator's voice flowed and the story line had a nice mix of soccer action and middle school drama. Multiple messages hidden throughout, but the strongest being that even our heroes let us down sometimes. Wasn't super thrilled that this book centered around soccer, but the author does a nice job of making it something you could relate to. Every now and then there would be a sentence that didn't quite make sense, almost as if something was lost in editing but I'm surprised this book didn't get more publicity when it was released. From the amount of reviews on this website it appears as if not many have read it, but it should be enjoyed by more. Looking forward to the Skype interview my school will get to have with this author coming up.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ari is the goalkeeper of his soccer team and he's very superstitious. When he finds a rare card of his favorite soccer player, he believes it gives him the luck he needs to be a star on the field and off. When the card goes missing, he gets embroiled in friendship issues and the only way out of it is to face some hard truths. The story moves along nicely but there are several moments that don't sound like real boy talk. Adolescent boys ordering crullers at a diner, for example. A boy telling his friend he wants to get "put this entire chapter behind us." Things like that don't sound like the adolescent boys I know.

[Stacy Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ari Fish is a big believer in luck. He knows all the presidents by heart, can recite them in order and he does so before every game. All he wants is to be a keeper (goalie). When he finds his idol, Wayne Timcoe's trading card, he knows that he is going to have a great day. But can luck sustain Ari when his best friend fish turns on him and a girl joins his team. All bets are off when Ari's luck turns south.

Bottom Line: This is a good sports book. Soccer fans will like it. It also has a good story involving friendship and family.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. What a great story! Luck and heroism, heroism and luck. There's a fine line between lucky and smart. You'll enjoy Ari and his crew of 13 year old soccer studs (and one studette) until the very last page.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the first sports book that I have really enjoyed reading. It is about soccer. But, it is also about friendships and how complicated they can be in middle school. The main characters were surprisingly well developed.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The touching story about a boy trying to become a great goaly, while his brother fights forest fires in California. He finds an incredibly lucky soccer trading card. At first, it makes him really lucky. Then, things start to go downhill. Read to find out more.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book and recommend to all! The relationships that grow both on and off the soccer filed show how important sports can be in developing kids. Aronson captures the thrill of the sport and these relationships beautifully!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book that kept me guessing until the end. It's great fiction for the middle school soccer lover or sports fan. The main character, Ari is competitive yet relatable and endearing. And if you love the play by play, Aronson pulls you right into the games!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

ari has bad luck. His best friend Mac is the luckiest boy ari knows. But when ari finds a rare soccer card his luck changes. Then the card was stolen.

I like this book because is has a lot of action in it.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond Lucky is a fun novel about luck, soccer, and friendship. I'm not a soccer fan, but it didn't matter. I was totally captivated by Ari and his desire to be a great soccer player and retain his friendship with his friend Mack.

[Dia MacMighty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it. Talks about tough choices with friends where you sometimes have to choose between what is right and being someone's friend and how you don't always choose right. Liked the soccer angle and how the end is realistic. Some kids may need front loading on the bar mitzvah part.