Gr 4-6 Wherever Nate Harlow goes, bad luck seems to follow. He has never even won a coin toss, so it comes as no surprise to many residents of Paradise Beach that it is Nate who gets struck by lightning out of the literal blue on his 11th birthday while playing mini-golf with his friend Genesis Beam. What does come as a big surprise is that Nate's luck seems to change drastically after the strike. All of a sudden, he is winning. Everything. Nate has to decide how he is going to handle this change—he is now surrounded by friends and opportunities whereas before it was only him and Genesis sticking together. Will she stay by Nate's side while he finds his feet, and, more importantly, will he support her when she needs it most? This well-told story of growth, friendship, and small-town life hits all the right notes. The quirkiness of the characters and the town never goes too far, and there is an overall cozy feeling to the book. Genesis's dad is the preacher at The Church of the One True Redeemer and Everlasting Light, but she is a scientist through and through, which adds complexity to the text, including musings on destiny, fate, probability, and weather. Fans of Susan Patron's Higher Power of Lucky (S. &; S., 2006), Sheila Turnage's Three Times Lucky (Dial, 2012), and Ingrid Law's Savvy (2008; both, Dial) will find something new for their to-read shelves.— Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City

Nate Harlow figures he is the least lucky kid on the planet. He has lost his parents. He has lost his dog. He has called a coin toss and got it wrong 53 times in a row. His best friend, Genesis, eldest daughter of Reverend Beam of the Church of the One True Redeemer and Everlasting Light, doesn't believe in luck, putting her money on the science of probability. But neither can explain it when Nate is struck by a freak flash of lightning on his eleventh birthday d his luck, and fortunes, change. All of a sudden, everything Nate comes in contact with is charmed, and soon the entire population of Paradise Sands, Florida, is vying for his Midas touch. But this newfound popularity threatens his relationship with Gen. Will he show up when she d the loggerhead turtles nesting on the beaches ally needs him? Pyron displays a fine sense of the shifting allegiances of tweendom, and while many of the homespun secondary characters read as stock, the tender relationships will nourish readers in search of belonging.

Set in a fishing town along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, Lucky Strike is filled with Southern charm, a bit of magic, and a cast of quirky characters whose speech is peppered with plenty of "Blue blazes!" and "I reckon." Nate Harlow, the ten-year-old orphaned protagonist who lives in a trailer park with his grandfather, is considered the unluckiest person in Paradise Beach. He has never won a coin toss or found a prize in a Cracker Jack Box, and none of his birthday wishes have ever come true. But everything changes when he survives a lightning strike on his eleventh birthday. Suddenly, he cannot losewhether it is a baseball game, shrimp boat race, or the most impossible carnival gameand everyone in town wants a piece of him. With his newfound popularity, Nate hurts the one true friend he has ever had and eventually comes to realize that his lucky streak is not all it is cracked up to be. In order to repair the friendship, Nate decides the only solution is to be struck by lightning again. Cue a freak, out-of-season hurricane that provides the opportunity but also poses a threat to the entire town with results that teach everyone, scientist and religious believer alike, that some things in life just cannot be explained.Lucky Strike offers readers robust characters that learn to grow in different ways as they explore the meanings of friendship, loyalty, and luck. Though the plot is somewhat predictable, it is a feel-good read that will appeal to younger audiences.Cathy Fiebelkorn.