Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clever, optimistic tale of Black boy in 1967 Mississippi.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
What's the Story?
When THE LUCKY ONES begins, it's 1967. Ellis Earl Brown lives in a rundown two-room home in the Mississippi Delta with his mom and as many as dozen other relatives, including older and younger siblings and cousins. His father has died, his mother works as a domestic, and often the family doesn't have anything to eat. Ellis loves school because his teacher, Mr. Foster, brings delicious food for the kids. Mr. Foster also nourishes their minds by having them discuss articles about Black America from Jet magazine and supplying books they can keep. Ellis sees himself in the pages of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and is excited by news that President Lyndon Johnson, U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy, and a "Black lady" lawyer, Marian Wright, are working to get fair housing and food to families like his.
Is It Any Good?
This outstanding book promotes empathy for people who are marginalized and encouragement that change and progress can happen. In The Lucky Ones, Linda Williams Jackson repeats the successful format she uses in A Sky Full of Stars and Midnight Without a Moon, putting fictional tweens into the middle of the events of the civil rights movement. The author grew up in the Mississippi Delta. She writes about children born 10 to 15 years before her, who would have witnessed historical events slightly before her time.
Her deep immersion in the culture of the area and her curiosity about these events give this book energy and authenticity. Younger readers may be troubled by a couple of detailed, unflinching scenes where White segregationists verbally abuse young Black children. However, young kids will easily identify with Ellis Earl and his eagerness to become the best person he can be and make the world a better place.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of making change in The Lucky Ones. How do qualities like persistence, imagination, empathy and forgiveness help people make change in their lives and communities?
Reading fiction plays a big role in The Lucky Ones. What story has made a difference in your life, and how?
Robert Kennedy and Marian Wright are real historical people who appear in the story. Do the author's portrayals make you want to learn more about them?
Book Details
- Author: Linda Williams Jackson
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Activism , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: April 12, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 308
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: August 12, 2022
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