Lucky Strike

Pyron offers a gentler take on survival and friendship than in her gritty novel The Dogs of Winter. Nate Harlow, who has lived in a trailer with his grandfather since his parents’ death, is “the unluckiest boy” in Paradise Beach, Fla. On his 11th birthday, Nate wishes for something lucky to happen that day, and is subsequently struck by lightning—“right out of the clear blue sky”—while playing miniature golf with his friend Gen, who’s an ardent believer in logic and probability. Nate survives just fine, and, suddenly, his luck changes for the better. Moreover, he becomes something of a local hero after it appears that his good fortune is rubbing off on others, and a group of popular kids befriend Nate after he displays his newfound (and inexplicable) baseball skills. Nate’s decision to hang with these kids and desert Gen and their mission to protect nesting turtles brings the themes of luck and friendship to a crest. A dramatic and sweetly poignant story, enlivened by a dash of magical realism. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. (Feb.)