The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

I'm not really sure why this book was chosen as this year's Newbery winner. It's a good book, but not a great book. The main character is a 10-year-old girl living a very odd life in a series of connected trailers in the California desert. Her mother was killed in a freak accident, and her absentee father sent for his French ex-wife to come and be Lucky's guardian. They have no money, and Lucky spends her time hanging around eavesdropping on different 12-step meetings (alcoholics anonymous, etc.). Lucky knows that her guardian Brigette loves her, but because she's so homesick for France, Lucky is afraid that she'll leave her. So...the plot is pretty far-fetched, but the characters are interesting and quirky. Review by Stacy Church