Lucky Strikes

After the death of her mother, fourteen year old Amelia must raise her younger siblings herself and operate their family owned gas station amidst the Depression As a minor, Amelia is poised to lose her siblings and the family business if she s unable to discern the identity and location of her father Opportunity arrives in the form of a homeless man who falls out of a passing truck Amelia takes a chance on the filthy vagrant, hoping he can stand in as a father figure until she comes of age Bayar [...]

I won this book in a FIRSTREADS GIVEAWAY When this beautiful little hardback came in the mail I felt I wanted to read it right then This is a story about hard times and perseverance, family and what you will do to keep it all together Amelia s Melia mom died and they buried her in a grave in an area her mom liked to be So now Melia is the sole owner of Brenda s Oasis, the gas station, grocery store, and vehicle repairs Melia is still a child just a few years shy of being able to adopt her brothe [...]

Okay, to be completely honest, I requested this book because of its cover I mean, of course, I also read the blurb, but the cover is what really tickled me bloomers gorgeous Thankfully, after having read the book, I can say the same for the actual story as well.I think this might be the first time I only made one note on my Kindle while reading I wasn t even searching for things to criticise because I was too damn busy with reading I know right And now that I m done, I still can t think of anyth [...]

it s a little hard to tell what age group this is meant to be for because it seems a little like middle grade but then other times, it seems like only an older reader would fully appreciate it plus there s lots of cursing i don t know about this one initially i really liked it but when it was over i just felt really sad so many things went wrong for this poor family and i think in their case, that the bad outweighed the good i wasn t satisfied at all with the ending and it kind of just left a ba [...]

This is what YA books could be and so rarely are This is about growing up and learning to trust and love although not necessarily romantic love and heartbreak and what a family is.I Loved it, start to finish The character of Melia, who tells, the story, is hard as nails She just gets on with what she must do and being tough is how she gets through She pushes and works hard and tries to keep everything together And she somehow manages along the way to still show that she loves her brother and sis [...]

Fantastic story Kept me reading almost in one sitting However target audience Kirkus Review cites an age range of 10 14 and says upper middle grade Ummm Not in my experience in sixth grade and eighth grade classrooms.Way too much language in this one And it s too bad because I think the story would have worked without the use of all of the expletives.

Short and Sweet Excellent Southern representation resilient protagonist family feels rivaling those in Lilo Stitch 5 shining starsTo Elaborate When Amelia s mother dies, Amelia is left alone in charge of her little sister and brother The three of them aim to continue running their small, family gas station, but without a parent, the foster care people are sure to be at their door any second Not to mention, Harley Blevins, runner of Standard Oil, is not above scheming to get their gas station if [...]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Louis Bayard is really quite the chameleon I first read him when he was writing mysteries including either fictional or historical characters like Tiny Tim try him as a sleuth , Edgar Allan Poe great idea and Vidocq, the first French police chief I enjoyed all of these, but then he began to get a bit onto the Dan Brown bandwagon of secret societies and conspiracies, and he lost me And then of all things, he completely [...]

I have about twenty books sitting on my bookshelf, half started Once I picked this one up I couldn t put it down This is what good writing is from my point of view He created an amazing set of characters, each created with such loving detail that they all but breathed on my afternoon snack These were not your milk toast and white bread characters but people who had flaws and spunk and failings People I adored Louis Bayard gave me a picture of hard scrabble depression era life but with characters [...]

This reminded me of the kind of book I read as a child and my mother read in hers where pluck and grit and humanity triumph over hardship Reading the story of of Amelia, the oldest sister caring for her younger siblings while running the family gas station in the 1930s I was swept up in the story This novel, like many classics for that age provide both entertainment and sustenance Reading it gave me a wonderful shot of encouragement, the character s pluck and grit are contageous as well as hope [...]

I know I am not the target audience for a YA book as I am 53 , but I could not put this book down I adored the narrator, who reminded me of no one so much as, gasp, Scout Finch from TKaM Really And Bayard s lyrical prose were a pleasure plus, the story was intriguing really, this book had it all Highly recommend

Wow Two 5 star books in one summer This author takes his readers seriously Believes they are ready to read a book that puts them in the adult world but through a child s eyes And what a child Melia Hoyle, a gas station pagan who describes her late mother as someone You could shake her all day, and not a single beef would fall out Rethinking thisybe some of the stuff he includes is too adult Need to know what some other readers think.The setting is the mountains of Virginia in WWII The writing st [...]

I am going to get this out of the way first I am a huge fan of Bayard s work When I heard he was writing a YA novel I did cringe a little Why Why join that bandwagon of adult fiction writers dipping their toes into the YA pool I had little doubt that he could succeed, his talent is that good I opened the cover and as he has accomplished with his adult fiction, I was transported to Depression era Virginia and found myself in the company of Amelia and her two siblings Being of a certain age, THE W [...]

I highly recommend this book It s the mid thirties and Virginia is deep in the recession and Melia is taking care of her brother and sister, the family gas station and fighting off a takeover by one of the richest guys in town Tough talking and not at all sentimental she must power through trials than Job on her own, until Hiram comes to town and she starts to get an inkling of what family can mean There are lots of Virginia references and local readers will enjoy the tie ins.

A wonderful tender story set during the depression in the hills of Virginia The story of 3 orphans struggling to keep their mama s dream alive I loved this book so much I am definitely reading of this author s books

You can check out my review of this book here, plus I have a giveaway running for it until August 29th consumedbybooks 2016 0

Louis Bayard s Lucky Strikes is a selection for my Chapter and Verse book club s mock Printz list I have read several Depression era novels Lucky Strikes takes place in 1935 of late that have all been outstanding Full of Beans by Jennifer Holm, Tru and Nelle by G Neri, and Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, for example Lucky Strikes is a wonderful addition to this list And, speaking of lists, Lucky Strikes has shown up on several best lists for 2016, as well as having received several starred reviews in Pu [...]

This story takes you back in time to the depression ear and into the lives of Amelia, her two younger siblings, and a hobo that is dropped off by truck at Amelia s family service station The themes of survival, acceptance, and family are the focus of this historical fiction young adult novel Very enjoyable

Very cute story I really enjoyed this read

Depressing in the way all depression era fiction is, but also a truly heartwarming story where, in the words of Oscar Wilde, the good end happily and the bad unhappily.

Melia is a tough girl who I fell in love with right away In this book, she figures out what family means, and when she brings Hiram into hers the fact that it s not about blood is made clear The personality traits that are revealed in the children are indicative of people who have been through trauma without being stereotyped My one criticism is that I felt like the children started out acting and being described as significantly younger than at the end of the novel, and I was okay with it until [...]

I don t normally read YA novels Whenever I see that acronym it conjures up images of the Twilight Saga, and its ilk, and I steer clear However, I have enjoyed Louis Bayard s historical fiction very much and this didn t seem like typical YA subject matter, so I was interested in checking it out I found Lucky Strikes to be classic Bayard storytelling, definitely deserving to be read by than just the YA audience I hope that label doesn t put off some folks from what is an engrossing Depression era [...]

Review copy provided by NetGalleySet in the Depression Era, this was a story of three children orphaned with nothing to their names than the humble gas station that their mother had operated I didn t know quite what to expect when I volunteered to give this one a shot In general, I tend to not enjoy stories set in this era I recognize their importance, but I don t normally look back on the reading experience and think, Wow, that might have been one of the best books I ve read this year This boo [...]

Disclaimer I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.I really enjoyed this one It wasn t exactly what I was anticipating but it was still good in it s own right I would definitely classify it as a Middle Grade novel than an Young Adult one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my reading of it I was put off a bit by some of the phrasing of things and the fact that this was basically one long letter but I wasn t sure who it was addressed to or if I was supposed to be someone in [...]

There isn t a lot of luck to be found in Walnut Ridge, Virginia, for Melia, her brother Earle, and her sister, Janey There isn t a father in sight, and they ve just put their Mama in the ground and all that she has left them is a Blue Ridge mountain of debt and the family s roadside gas station.Determined to keep herself and her siblings out of Fos Ter Care, a solution of sorts rolls off the back of a coal carrier and falls at Melia s feet Hiram Watts isn t much, but no one in Walnut Ridge reall [...]

I also review books at missnicolethelibrarianspoI received this book as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review All opinions are my own Thanks NetGalley This book wasn t what I was expecting.It was SO MUCH BETTER Seriously probably one of the most heartwarming and truly moving coming of age stories I ve read in years If you ve followed my blog for a bit now, you know I love historical fiction Almost anything set between the Roaring Twenties through the end of World War Two I can t help [...]

The story When Melia s mother dies, it looks like Melia, Janey and Earle have struck out they re orphans with no family to take them in, and with greedy businessman Harvey Blevins looking to drive them out of business The obvious conclusion they need to find themselves a daddy right away So when a bum rolls off a passing truck, Melia seizes the day and the bum and offers Hiram Watts a job as her long lost dad Can the kids and Hiram pull it off Or are they bound for foster care after all June Cle [...]

I absolutely loved this book I went into it pretty much blind I d read the synopsis awhile back and put it on hold at the library When it was finally available I just dove into the book and I m so glad I did From the very first page I was sucked in The story is told through the eyes of Melia She is the oldest of three siblings, and has to figure out how they are going to provide for themselves after their mother passes away in the middle of Depression era Virginia Melia is a wonderful narrator S [...]

Oh, wow.This might even be a 4.5 It s slow to start, which is the major thing to bring it down, but once it gets there it s absolutely gripping Once you really get into her head, Melia is a powerful, emotional character with a fantastic voice she seems so much older than her 14 years, but never in an unrealistic way She, Hiram, Janey and Earle leap off the page, and I found myself so invested in their story I also have a huge soft spot for found family stories, and Lucky Strikes does it so well [...]

A Homecoming or Where the Lilies Bloom for a new generation Possibly The characters and their fight to keep both their family and the family business going will definitely draw you in, as will the deft balance of seriousness and humor Even its setting in an era todays readers might view as ancient history gasp was offset by familiar coming of age themes dealing with tragedy, self identity, relationships, first love, trust, etc What may be off putting is the language The characters, especially th [...]