Fortune Falls - Hardcover

Jenny Goebel is the author of Grave Images and the upcoming 39 Clues: Doublecross Book 3. She lives in Denver with her husband and three sons.

Gr 4–6—Fortune Falls is a special place where luck is serious business and superstitions are real. Those who have good luck enjoy life and success, but those who don't are sent away. Unfortunately for Sadie, she's an Unlucky. Born on Friday the 13th, the girl is seemingly followed by bad luck. Soon she'll have to take the Spring Luck Test, which will determine if she gets to stay with her family and the other Luckies or be sent away so she won't be a danger to everyone around her. Sadie tries everything to change her luck: searching for a lucky penny or a four leaf clover and even making a wish in the wishing well, but nothing seems to be able to turn her luck around. When Sadie and her best friend devise a desperate plan that goes terribly wrong—resulting in seven years bad luck!—all hope seems lost. But can an unlucky girl change her fortune through smarts and resolve? This novel is brimming with subtle lessons about family, hard work, and overcoming bullying. VERDICT Bad luck has never been so interesting; hand this to middle grade readers who enjoy tales with a touch of magic and a plucky underdog.—Ashley Prior, Lincoln Public Library, RI