Book Review: Three Times Lucky

“As I watched them together, my earth found its axis and my stars found their sky.” 

“I'm Baptist. So far, Fast or Never is the only speeds I got with forgiving.” 


I have to keep up on my book reviewing.  It being 25 Days of Christmas Baking is no excuse.  So, here you go!





Mo(ses) LoBeau was named before the Colonel knew she was a girl.  He just picked her up on the piece of floating wood after the hurricane.  He didn't know who he was, and he didn't know who she was.  But he takes her to the closest town and there he meets Aunt Lana.  Aunt Lana and the Colonel raise Mo in the itty bitty town, sending messages in a bottle to try and find her mother, until one day Detective Joe Starr comes to town.  The only thing that the Colonel hates more than lawmen is lawyers, so he tells Mo not to help him.  But that doesn't mean that Mo and her friend Dale (and his older brother who Mo is convince she will someday marry) can't solve the mystery themselves.

This is a Newbery Honor book that feels like most Newbery books.  I do like Newbery books and I make a point of reading them, but it's almost becoming a genre.  1 quirky, sassy, female protagonist+1 missing parent (bonus for 2 missing parents like this one)+1 or more adults who serve the role of parents+1 small town setting+1 dumb little male sidekick (bonus points if he has deadbeat parents too)=1 Newbery award!  The book was very reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking in a lot of ways, and felt like a cross between Long Way From Chicago and Because of Winn-Dixie.   But all of those are good books, so other than the fact that it just felt a bit recycled, it was a good book about belonging somewhere and trusting those you love.

4 stars (generously--probably more of a 3, but my impulse was 4)

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