Aug 29, 2008

The Higher Power of Lucky | Critical Overview

Aside from a single positive but brief review in Kirkus Reviews (2006) that labeled the novel “a small gem,” The Higher Power of Lucky received little critical or popular attention when it was first published in 2006. However, soon after the novel won the Newbery Medal, which drew the attention of school librarians, it became the object of considerable controversy. This began when a number of school librarians mentioned in online library forums that they had objections to the book’s language—specifically the use of the word scrotum on the book’s first and...