One of the tools to attract readers is to be able to tell them “If you enjoyed x, y, & z (book titles), you’ll enjoy my book.” In librarian language, this is called a “title read-alike.” So I asked my children’s librarian friend, Pam, what titles she would equate with “The Curse of the Neverland.” Her answers were surprising and illuminating.
I had not read either of the titles she came up with, so I went right to my library to request them. Therefore I got to discover new jewels, which I want to pass on to you! (These are not new books, just new to me.)
Pam’s first read-alike pick was The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. It’s a Newbery Award read-alike. (Thank you, Pam, for that association!)
Here’s the Library of Congress summary for The Higher Power of Lucky: “Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.”
With a Newbery Award to its name, you don’t need to know that I liked it to know that it’s good. But just for fun, here are a few of the things I loved about the book:
- Lucky’s “voice” is awesome. You get the inside scoop on her friends and neighbors, and the full flavor of her relationships. You see her short fuse, experience her “mean” potential, as well as her imagination and her compassion. You feel her love, her fear, her hopes, and her terrors.
- Lucky lives in a teeny, poverty-stricken town out in the desert. I loved that she has no idea she lives in poverty. She likes the creative ways people around her live, and so did I. One she shares is how people cook their “Government Surplus commodities;” the once-a month deliveries of free government food.
- For those of us who have experience with or exposure to 12-step programs, there are some priceless and hilarious scenes. Lucky has a job cleaning outside of the building where 12-step meetings happen in her town. She has a secret place where she eavesdrops. She’s heard the term “Higher Power,” and understands that it’s key in people’s lives improving, but she doesn’t know how you find it, nor does she really have any concept of what it is.
I actually met Susan Patron at an SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference I attended some years ago in Seattle. Susan spoke on a panel along with other Newbery Award winning about what it was like to receive the prestigious award. Total author dream-candy!