Book Review: Just My Luck (Zack Delacruz, book 2), by Jeff Anderson

Why I Picked It Up:

I received this book as an ARC and immediately started reading.  Truth is, I had the first book and wanted to read that one first, but my son grabbed it from me.  One thing my kids know is that I will never take a book away from them, so I chose to read the second book first.  Good news, while I’m looking forward to reading the first, reading the second book first was just fine.

Why I Finished It:

I have two sons in middle school, so this story hit close to home.  The amount of drama that occurs within the heads of middle school students and their ever-present conflict of being stuck between adult and child is well-captured in this read!  Poor Zack Delacruz just can’t catch a break. He really wants to talk to the new girl but winds up creating large amounts of drama instead.  Zack, with the help of his close friend, Marquis, will try multiple ways to conquer his fear and talk to the girl.  As a teacher, I was amused, because each of the very specific characters was explained and created so well that I could attach my former students to at least one of the characters.  No doubt, middle-level readers will also be able to connect to the characters.

Who I Would Give It To:

I see this being a great read for grades 4-7.  I believe this book will help reluctant readers engage with a book as well as entertain stronger readers.  A definite addition to any middle-grade classroom library.

Integration Ideas:

Theme

As in any book, there are a few themes going on.  I would hope that students would pull out the themes related to coming of age and friendship. Also, throughout the story, Zack is deciding whether or not to believe in luck.  Is bad luck the reason why things are not working in his favor?  He is searching for good luck.

The idea that I want students to focus on is that Zack is learning, through events in the story, how to be a good friend.  He is learning to listen and just be himself.  The guiding question I would want students answering throughout the story would be, “What personal qualities help or hinder the formation of relationships?”

Character Analysis

The characters had definite personalities.  Truthfully, the character traits don’t change much throughout the story, but the feelings of the main characters change frequently based on story events.  It is important that students understand that feelings are a little different from traits.  The feelings characters have are raw and in the moment.  They might react or a feel a certain way because of their personality or character traits, but feelings will change more frequently.

Have students decide on both Zack and Marquis’ (possibly even Janie’s) dominant traits.  Examples might be that Zack is timid, insecure, or kindhearted (there are others).  Throughout the book, his feelings will change.  When Abhi doesn’t respond to him he feels rejected.  Rejected is definitely a feeling and not a trait.  When students share how the character is feeling, have them use text evidence to explain and prove their point and then connect this feeling with what actions the character takes.  These actions will point the student towards the characters trait.

Psuedo-Tech Connection: Have students design emojis to represent a character’s feelings at key points in the book. They can do this on paper or with any drawing app or web tool. Encourage students to explore the use of color (most emojis are yellow – that’s just boring!) and size. See if other students can guess the feeling, the character, and the part of the story represented!

Show students the book trailer – https://youtu.be/HsAPGVi6P7Y

Descriptive Writing and Visualizing

There are many places in this story where teachers can pull out sentences to have students visualize and also emulate the descriptive writing in their own papers.  For example, “A funnel cloud of laughter and shouts whipped and whirled over the cafeteria tables” (p9).  WOW! And this is not the only sentence that would make fantastic mentor sentences for students to emulate.  These sentences are throughout.

First, read the sentence while students eyes are shut.  Ask students to picture this moment.  It truly is powerful.  Discuss with students how this would have been different if he had just said, all the students in the cafeteria laughed loudly.  A funnel cloud even makes the reader think of a tornado and the destruction that leaves behind.  That destruction could be compared to the humiliation that Zack is feeling.

Once the visualization has been explored, have students study this sentence like a writer.  This sentence really attacks the senses, particularly sight and sound.  Ask students to find a place in their own writing to add description.  I would ask students to find one of the most significant moments in their writing, the height of the action.  Ask –

“What emotion do you want the readers to have?”

“What sense would you like to activate for the reader?”

“Close your eyes and picture what you want your reader to picture.”

Then have students begin to write their descriptive sentence.  Don’t stop there, remember to allow students to share and make sure to conference with students and help them get their point across.

How have you used this book?