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odurant8's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audio of this, which was very well done. A powerful tale about bullying and finding one's identity - and finding the courage to fight back.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
4.0
Yet another winning book by [a:A.S. King|1651879|A.S. King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1323437957p2/1651879.jpg]. She is undeniably one of the best YA authors I've ever come across.
Not only does King write teenagers brilliantly, but the adults are also given plenty of background and personality. Lucky's parents were a larger part of the book than I'd expected, and such well-fleshed out characters.
His mother spends her days swimming tons of laps in the pool, and she was a decent and mostly present parent. However, she wasn't only portrayed as a parent, but also as a person. 'Lucky's mom' wasn't what I'd call her. She was Lori, and her own person. I really appreciated that.
Meanwhile the dad's only interest is food and he visits his restaurant more than home. Lucky's grandfather fought in the Vietnam war and went missing. He was never found and eventually declared dead. This affected Lucky and his father severely - neither of them got to know the man and maybe that's why Lucky's dad is so absent in his own child's life?
The subject of bullying is one of the main topics of the novel. King handled it beautifully as always, with a very convincing take on it. The struggle, the fear, and the terrifying realness of the subject was made clear and I empathized a lot with Lucky.
This book also features a beautiful ninja, a feminist theater project titled The vagina monologues, magical realism in the form of dreams set in the jungle where the protagonist tries to rescue his long-lost grandfather, and lastly, ants.
What's not to love?
Not only does King write teenagers brilliantly, but the adults are also given plenty of background and personality. Lucky's parents were a larger part of the book than I'd expected, and such well-fleshed out characters.
His mother spends her days swimming tons of laps in the pool, and she was a decent and mostly present parent. However, she wasn't only portrayed as a parent, but also as a person. 'Lucky's mom' wasn't what I'd call her. She was Lori, and her own person. I really appreciated that.
Meanwhile the dad's only interest is food and he visits his restaurant more than home. Lucky's grandfather fought in the Vietnam war and went missing. He was never found and eventually declared dead. This affected Lucky and his father severely - neither of them got to know the man and maybe that's why Lucky's dad is so absent in his own child's life?
The subject of bullying is one of the main topics of the novel. King handled it beautifully as always, with a very convincing take on it. The struggle, the fear, and the terrifying realness of the subject was made clear and I empathized a lot with Lucky.
This book also features a beautiful ninja, a feminist theater project titled The vagina monologues, magical realism in the form of dreams set in the jungle where the protagonist tries to rescue his long-lost grandfather, and lastly, ants.
What's not to love?
abaugher's review
5.0
amazing book about a kid that is bullied, and how he works through the situation, but also so much more than just a bullying story. The book covers his grandfather's POW/MIA status, his father's emotional unavailability, his mother's frustrations, his first kiss, and more. all packed in to one story beautifully!
marieintheraw's review against another edition
2.0
i will fight my way into liking magical realism dangit.
sarahch's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked it although it was a bit slow-paced. I think it was a very thought-provoking read and I loved its message. A.S. King definitely knows how to write ! :)