The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson
Published by Candlewick Press on April 12, 2022
ISBN: 1536222550
Pages: 320
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

The Lucky Ones is an impressive historical fiction juvenile novel which depicts the Mississippi Delta. Eleven-year-old Ellis Earl is just one child in a large family held together by a mother in a very poor rural area of the USA during the 1960’s. Readers will be surprised by the degree of hunger, poverty and racism experienced by the many well portrayed characters. With the assistance of good teachers, church members, and parents Jackson provides her characters with hope, self-confidence, and a forward view of life. A visit to the area by Robert F. Kennedy reveals even more information about the time and life experiences of this young man and those around him.

Beyond being a well written and historically accurate book, The Lucky Ones is bound to become a classic of the Civil Rights Era. A necessary purchase for all middle and intermediate school media centers throughout the USA. Jackson’s newest novel belongs on the shelves of public libraries and would be appreciated as a gift to classroom literature teachers.

For grades 5-8

Suggested for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, Retired Youth Services Librarian