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Books in Hard Pan Trilogy series

  • The Higher Power of Lucky

    Susan Patron, Matt Phelan

    Paperback (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Dec. 30, 2008)
    Lucky, age ten, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has. It's all Brigitte's fault -- for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. She'll have to lose her friends Miles, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, future U.S. president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Just as bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own -- and quick. But she hadn't planned on a dust storm. Or needing to lug the world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert.
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  • The Higher Power of Lucky

    Susan Patron, Matt Phelan

    Hardcover (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, Nov. 7, 2006)
    Believing that her French guardian is about to abandon her to an orphanage in the city, ten-year-old Lucky runs away from her small town with her beloved dog by her side in order to trek across the Mojave Desert in this Newbery Medal–winning novel from Susan Patron.Lucky, age ten, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has. It's all Brigitte's fault -- for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in Los Angeles where her beloved dog, HMS Beagle, won't be allowed. She'll have to lose her friends Miles, who lives on cookies, and Lincoln, future U.S. president (maybe) and member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Just as bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own -- and quick. But she hadn't planned on a dust storm. Or needing to lug the world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert.
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  • Lucky for Good

    Susan Patron, Erin McGuire

    Paperback (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Aug. 7, 2012)
    Will Lucky solve life’s mysteries before she turns twelve? The adventures that began with the Newbery Award–winner The Higher Power of Lucky come to a grand finale.For eleven-year old Lucky, the universe is full of questions. Is that mysterious woman at the café Miles’s mom? Does her father not talk to her because he hates her? Will the Health Department ruin everything? Is she really going to go to hell? The answers are, in no particular order, nearly, no, yes, and a big fat “who knows?” But answers—like every little thing in the whole universe—are constantly evolving and, sometimes, the biggest questions have no answer at all. The best Lucky can do is never give up on maybe, just maybe, understanding things a little better before she turns twelve. The Hard Pan trilogy that began with the Newbery-winning The Higher Power of Lucky concludes with Lucky and all of Hard Pan a little wiser—and a lot closer to our hearts.
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  • Lucky Breaks

    Susan Patron, Matt Phelan

    Hardcover (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, March 10, 2009)
    "Eleven is much more intrepid than only ten." On the eve of her eleventh birthday, Lucky wants to let loose and become intrepid; she's ready for life to change. But Hard Pan (population 43) drones on like it always has: Lincoln all tied up in knotty matters, Miles newly diagnosed as a genius but as needy as ever, Brigitte running her Café and trying to figure out what it means to be American. Enter Paloma, tagging along on a visit to Hard Pan with a pack of hungry geologists. She's smart and pretty and fun -- definitely best-friend material. But will Lucky be able to cope with tomato worms, Short Sammy's mysterious box, the potential for disaster when Paloma's parents visit Hard Pan, and Lincoln's fame among knot tyers of the world? Lucky's intrepidness is put to the test in this satisfying sequel to the Newbery Award-winning The Higher Power of Lucky.
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  • Lucky for Good

    Susan Patron, Erin McGuire

    Hardcover (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Aug. 9, 2011)
    Will Lucky solve life’s mysteries before she turns twelve? The adventures that began with the Newbery Award–winner The Higher Power of Lucky come to a grand finale.For eleven-year old Lucky, the universe is full of questions. Is that mysterious woman at the café Miles’s mom? Does her father not talk to her because he hates her? Will the Health Department ruin everything? Is she really going to go to hell? The answers are, in no particular order, nearly, no, yes, and a big fat “who knows.” But, answers—like every little thing in the whole universe—are constantly evolving and sometimes, the biggest questions have no answer at all. The best Lucky can do is never give up on maybe, maybe understanding things a little better before she turns twelve. It will take a punch in the face (not her face), a near café disaster, a trip to the principal’s office—and both male and female sofas-- but in the end, she’ll see that there are loopholes in life and, thankfully, in county health codes!The Hard Pan trilogy that began with the Newbery-winning The Higher Power of Lucky concludes with Lucky and all of Hard Pan a little wiser and a lot closer to all out hearts. As always, Lucky is brave and foolish, impulsive and tender, vulnerable and determined. Ultimately, Lucky forges her own path: Lucky for Good.
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  • Shacked Up

    Kate Cann

    Mass Market Paperback (Simon Pulse, Jan. 6, 2004)
    Living the life with a fancy, free apartment and a great job, Rich is happy with the way things are going and feels confident about his chances with the beautiful Portia, but when his old friend Bonny comes in need of a place to stay, Rich can't refuse her and so now must find a way to work out his new living arrangements with his potential love life. Original.