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reader4evr's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book! I had only read Say what you will by Cammie McGovern so I'm so glad she is writing all ages now.
I liked the narrator. Plus all of the characters were perfect. Benny was so cute with his lego characters. But I can't image going through that kind of accident with my family. Wow.
This would be a great read aloud in a classroom for sure.
I liked the narrator. Plus all of the characters were perfect. Benny was so cute with his lego characters. But I can't image going through that kind of accident with my family. Wow.
This would be a great read aloud in a classroom for sure.
gmamartha's review against another edition
4.0
How is Benny's luck going to improve when his dad's accident, his brother's autism, and his lack of a best friend makes him feel like his life will never get better?
hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
The author has used her experience working with mentally challenged kids to craft a modest book full of thoughtful wisdom, about 4th grader Benny Barrows and his family. Benny has his own challenges with math, spelling, and friendships, and is used to his older autistic brother, George, but now his father has suffered a brain aneurysm, and is no longer his old self. See my full review here.
sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
5.0
This is another middle grade book I need to make note of not to listen to while driving. Sobbing on my way to work yesterday was not in my plans. This is sweet and sad and Benny's voice is perfectly captured. The audiobook took just a little to get into as the narrator is clearly not a fourth grader, but he does a really great job of narrating (once I let myself adapt to it). A good book with a good message.
magpiewithpebbles's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
hamckeon's review against another edition
4.0
I just read this book cover to cover. I've really enjoyed all of McGovern's books and definitely will add this one to my classroom library. She has a knack for describing different kinds of people in very authentic ways.
listen_learn's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book on so many levels:
1) Responsible adults whom the main character has healthy relationships with are all over the place (including his happily married parents and not-so-perfect teacher)
2) Kids with disabilities (legal blindness and autism) are given starring supportive roles (is that an oxymoronic expression? if it is, oh well, that's how I felt about it)
3) Benny, the main character, is kind and sensitive for a fourth grade boy, but no so kind or so sensitive as to be unrealistic.
4)The theme of trying to help others, even, or especially, when you feel like you have a problem. So many of our problems would not shrink if we were more other-focused, but they would be put in perspective and context of the big, wide, beautiful and painful world.
Recommend for those who liked [b:Extraordinary|23130145|Extraordinary|Miriam Spitzer Franklin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414559681l/23130145._SX50_.jpg|42677919], [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347602096l/6609765._SX50_.jpg|6803732], or[b:All the Answers|22313641|All the Answers|Kate Messner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401111383l/22313641._SY75_.jpg|41705964] - particularly if you liked those, but want a book with a boy as the MC.
1) Responsible adults whom the main character has healthy relationships with are all over the place (including his happily married parents and not-so-perfect teacher)
2) Kids with disabilities (legal blindness and autism) are given starring supportive roles (is that an oxymoronic expression? if it is, oh well, that's how I felt about it)
3) Benny, the main character, is kind and sensitive for a fourth grade boy, but no so kind or so sensitive as to be unrealistic.
4)The theme of trying to help others, even, or especially, when you feel like you have a problem. So many of our problems would not shrink if we were more other-focused, but they would be put in perspective and context of the big, wide, beautiful and painful world.
Recommend for those who liked [b:Extraordinary|23130145|Extraordinary|Miriam Spitzer Franklin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414559681l/23130145._SX50_.jpg|42677919], [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347602096l/6609765._SX50_.jpg|6803732], or[b:All the Answers|22313641|All the Answers|Kate Messner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401111383l/22313641._SY75_.jpg|41705964] - particularly if you liked those, but want a book with a boy as the MC.
heidimrogers's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the main character and his family and the topics discussed, but I'm personally wrestling with the way they treat his brother. They don't do anything wrong, per se, but they set really low expectations for him and I found it a little sad.
haia_929's review against another edition
4.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Things aren't going the way Benny planned this year. First his dad got hurt in the summer and had a brain aneurysm, his best friend moved away, and then he got the teacher he wanted but he just isn't as great as Benny heard, so when the school starts to reward people for being nice and Benny doesn't get any rewards, he starts to worry that people just don't notice or remember him at all. On top of that he's having trouble dealing with his autistic older brother. Benny doesn't know what to do.
I really rather enjoyed Just My Luck despite having a little bit of trouble getting the ball rolling with it. I thought the story was sweet and moving, with a really relatable lead character and a charming cast of characters filling out his world. I did find the book a little too easy, but I'm reading this at age 24 so of course it would be too easy for me, I guess it just made the slowness of the start a little harder to deal with. Overall I think it's a great MG debut for McGovern though.
Benny is a sweet kid, he's patient and kind with his brothers, he loves his family and feels responsible for his father's aneurysm even though he isn't to blame. He's a lovable kid and you really feel for him as you watch him be mistreated by his friends and ignored by the people around him at school. I thought he was charming and sweet, with a really wonderful and interesting hobby - making Lego movies! What Benny really brings to this book is the heart, through him we learn to love everyone else because Benny sees such good things in the people around him and he makes the people he meets better people.
The characters of this book are really the heart, the plot, largely following Benny's attempts to get recognition for being nice, fall to the wayside as we see Benny love and care for his family throughout the book. I found it really moving and I loved the way that McGovern highlights how we need to try harder to understand and care for people who have autism without shoving it down your throat, you internalized it without needing it to be spelled out
I adored this book and think it was a perfect transition from YA to MG for McGovern. I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Things aren't going the way Benny planned this year. First his dad got hurt in the summer and had a brain aneurysm, his best friend moved away, and then he got the teacher he wanted but he just isn't as great as Benny heard, so when the school starts to reward people for being nice and Benny doesn't get any rewards, he starts to worry that people just don't notice or remember him at all. On top of that he's having trouble dealing with his autistic older brother. Benny doesn't know what to do.
I really rather enjoyed Just My Luck despite having a little bit of trouble getting the ball rolling with it. I thought the story was sweet and moving, with a really relatable lead character and a charming cast of characters filling out his world. I did find the book a little too easy, but I'm reading this at age 24 so of course it would be too easy for me, I guess it just made the slowness of the start a little harder to deal with. Overall I think it's a great MG debut for McGovern though.
Benny is a sweet kid, he's patient and kind with his brothers, he loves his family and feels responsible for his father's aneurysm even though he isn't to blame. He's a lovable kid and you really feel for him as you watch him be mistreated by his friends and ignored by the people around him at school. I thought he was charming and sweet, with a really wonderful and interesting hobby - making Lego movies! What Benny really brings to this book is the heart, through him we learn to love everyone else because Benny sees such good things in the people around him and he makes the people he meets better people.
The characters of this book are really the heart, the plot, largely following Benny's attempts to get recognition for being nice, fall to the wayside as we see Benny love and care for his family throughout the book. I found it really moving and I loved the way that McGovern highlights how we need to try harder to understand and care for people who have autism without shoving it down your throat, you internalized it without needing it to be spelled out
I adored this book and think it was a perfect transition from YA to MG for McGovern. I highly recommend it.