Summer of L.U.C.K. by Laura Segal Stegman

What worked:

The author jumps right into the key conflicts starting on page one. Darby is afraid to speak due to her stuttering. Her mother is overly critical with unreasonable expectations and Darby feels like there’s no way to please her. Naz’s father is still living in Morocco, while he’s with his mother who’s pursuing her career as an opera singer. Naz wants his family back together. Justin is dealing with the death of his father and he hasn’t spoken a word in over a month. All three kids are hoping their time at Camp Inch will bring them relief and solace from their troubled lives at home.

The acronym L.U.C.K. refers to the ghost of a man and the name of his former carnival ride business bordering Camp Inch. The music from a calliope draws Darby to an abandoned warehouse neighboring Camp Inch where she first meets the specter. She later returns with Justin and Naz and they hear Leroy Usher’s tale. The ghost needs help with his three estranged children and bringing life back to his carnival and calliope warehouse. In return, Mr. Usher says he can help Darby, Justin, and Naz even though they may not know it yet.

The author infuses tastes of magic throughout an otherwise realistic fiction story. Magic surrounds Leroy Usher although I don’t get the impression that he actually wields it. He accompanies Darby, Justin, and Naz on mystical journeys that show them situations they need to see. Carnival mirrors display images from today and the past that transmit emotional messages to the viewers. Notes from Leroy mysteriously pop up around the camp to motivate the three kids and let them know when they need to sneak away and visit him. Naz holds a paperweight from Mr. Usher that includes an unfinished orange line around its base. The line gets longer as the kids make progress and it acts as a countdown clock to the book’s climax.

What didn’t work as well:

Overall, the problems faced by Darby, Justin, and Naz don’t escalate into the bigger issues I expected. They learn to deal with them and make significant progress due to the magical assistance of Leroy Usher. Their stories aren’t overly intense. However, Leroy’s conflict concerning the future of L.U.C.K. drives the plot and readers will anticipate the climax when prospects for the old warehouse are revealed.

The Final Verdict:

The first half of the book doesn’t knock my socks off with drama but the second half develops into a passionate rollercoaster of feelings. The plot offers surprises as Darby, Justin, and Naz take control of their lives in ways they never imagined possible. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.