13 year-old Brandon believes that he’s the unluckiest thing on legs. After all, how could anyone get into trouble at school because a conker fell on their head?
Only Brandon, of course!
On a trip to the Bristol ice rink with his friend Helen, a racist gang threatens them. Brandon knows this gang has already put a Asian kid in hospital, and insists Helen gets her dad to take her home, while he stays to face the bullies. Brandon knows this is just his luck.
Although his troubles aren’t going away, Brandon and Helen’s friendship strengthens through the discoveries they make as they embark on a school project that uncovers the story of Jake Silver, an eighteenth century slave brought to Bristol from the West Indies to be a page boy to an evil mistress.
As Brandon learns of the courage Jake showed 200 years ago, he begins to see how the events in his life are linked, and how his actions lead him to the sort of luck he deserves. He puts his fears to one side – understanding that, in life, you make your own good luck.
With an upbeat and fast-paced style and hard-hitting storyline, Just My Luck will appeal to a wide audience across the diverse ethnicity of middle schoolchildren in Britain and in the rest of the world; and to teachers, parents and librarians, especially for its historical content and in tackling the subject of racial violence head-on.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Only Brandon, of course!
On a trip to the Bristol ice rink with his friend Helen, a racist gang threatens them. Brandon knows this gang has already put a Asian kid in hospital, and insists Helen gets her dad to take her home, while he stays to face the bullies. Brandon knows this is just his luck.
Although his troubles aren’t going away, Brandon and Helen’s friendship strengthens through the discoveries they make as they embark on a school project that uncovers the story of Jake Silver, an eighteenth century slave brought to Bristol from the West Indies to be a page boy to an evil mistress.
As Brandon learns of the courage Jake showed 200 years ago, he begins to see how the events in his life are linked, and how his actions lead him to the sort of luck he deserves. He puts his fears to one side – understanding that, in life, you make your own good luck.
With an upbeat and fast-paced style and hard-hitting storyline, Just My Luck will appeal to a wide audience across the diverse ethnicity of middle schoolchildren in Britain and in the rest of the world; and to teachers, parents and librarians, especially for its historical content and in tackling the subject of racial violence head-on.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Used availability for Nina Milton's Just My Luck