Just My Luck audiobook

When it feels like everything is falling apart, Benny keeps going. Even when he doesn't want to he just has to keep going. This family is going through tons and it's really nice and refreshing to read a book about a kid who isn't really smart, or talented, or even special. He's just a kid. Except McGovern does a wonderful job of showing what this average kid has inside of him that makes him special after all - and I think that will have great value for many children.

"My mom has a theory that when bad things happen [to you], you should think about someone else's problems and try to help them." That's how Benny, our narrator, opens up this book, Just My Luck. This is a story about the struggles that Benny's family has while he is in 4th grade. Benny has an autistic brother, George, and just before Benny starts the 4th grade with who he knows is going to be his very favorite teacher, Benny's dad suffers a medical trauma that will change him and the family dynamics forever. "You don't think you could ever, in a million years, handle it, and then it happens and you do. You just go one day at a time and suddenly you realize, here I am. I'm handling it." This is a heart-warming story of problem solving, accepting change in yourself and others, dealing with conflict, and how leaning on others in our community can benefit us all. The family must pull together, finding their inner strength to overcome financial and emotional conflict, but they learn that community and friendships are really important too.Throughout the book Benny feels like his father's accident is his fault because his father was helping him learn how to ride a bike. "Who doesn't know how to ride a bike in 4th grade?" His brother offers great advice on how things like that just don't matter as you grow older. "Get good at other things," he says. "No one's standing there with a checklist at middle school." (And for my middle school students, no one is standing there with a checklist at high school either. Be yourself and you'll find your people.)If you liked Lost in the Sun , Umbrella Summer , or The Truth About Twinkie Pie then you will enjoy Just My Luck.

This book is the perfect example of why I love middlegrade novels so much. I feel like they're tackling all these really hard issues but doing it in a way where they're accessible to children. (Because it's not just teenagers and adults that horrible things happen to.) I can't even imagine the skillset that takes, where you explain these things in a way where it's not too overwhelming for kids. Anyway, Cammie McGovern does it and makes it seem effortless. I love Benny and his incredibly kind heart. (He's realistic though, and he loses his temper and he's very hard on himself.) But he's sweet and wise for his age and I wanted to give him about 50,000 hugs.I haven't read Cammie McGovern's YA novels yet and I need to change that. If they're even half this good (and I've only heard amazing things), she's going to be one of my favorites.Highly recommended.

Highly reminiscent of Lisa Graff's outstanding Absolutely Almost, Just My Luck is the story of a young for his age fourth grade boy wrestling with the guilt and worry he feels surrounding his father's aneurysm. Benny struggles in just about every area of his life; he is not academically gifted, has no significant friendships, and, most of all, is terrified of riding his bike. But Benny possess a tender heart and a remarkable gift for communicating with his older autistic brother. Told with both humor and warmth, Benny's story touched my heart.

Of the many trends in middle grade and YA fiction right now, autism and stories about family struggles are leading the way. Just My Luck is one of the better ones that covers these trends, and deserves a lot of attention.This is mostly about Benny, who finds a new best friend but also has to deal with his autistic brother and his father's sickness. It's a balancing act, and one that might not always be working in Benny's favor.It's a simple book that excels because of the simplicity and humor in play. As someone who has a parent who slowly became nonverbal, a lot of the coping I saw in this book felt real, and that includes the humor that goes along with it. On a whole, a great read and one that should really be on a lot of middle grade bookshelves, and perfect for those kids who are dealing with these issues. Just one of the more pleasurable reads I've had of late.

It was brilliant! Cammie writes beautifully about what it is like to have a child on the Autism Spectrum.

Cammie McGovern has done it again with this book. This time she aims at a younger audience than her previous YA novels, and accordingly she uses a simpler structure, using only one narrator. Nevertheless there is a wide variety of characters and a poignant exploration of living with people with disabilities. Unusually for this genre, the narrator is a boy, and the other main disabled characters are male as well. The narrator does a good bit of growing up in the book and has memorable interactions with much older children; these come off as true to life and touching. Highly recommended!

This book has a lot going on. Autistic siblings, parent with serious health issues, cliques beginning in school, and a little bit of "who am I?"From the blurb I read, I was expecting a little more focus on the program for doing good things, but the explanation of why some people are more often rewarded for good was outstanding

I loved this book. I also loved the members of the family as individuals but as a whole more. This book made me laugh and made me cry. A must read if you like Wonder.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.You must wake up with sorrow.You must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the cloth.Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore.-- Naomi Shihab Nye This book made me cry and laugh. It is really an enjoyable read. I really like how the author writes about autism in such a bright and positive way. It is a beautiful story of a family getting their life back to normal after a tragic accident. And it is so heart-breaking to see Benny blaming himself for the cause of his dad's accident. He is such a lovable character. Well, actually I like all the characters here. It has a lot of good messages in it, totally recommended to everyone.

My favorite book of the year so far! I loved this book from cover to cover and read chunks of it out loud to Robbie.Nine year old Benny, the youngest member of his family narrates a deceptively complex story. He is a decent kid- he has been raised to think of others by lesson and example. Loosely quoted his mom counsels- If you are struggling with a problem look around for some who could use a hand.The story starts with the beginning of the school year, clearly Benny is processing guilt over a mysterious ailment of his dad’s but also all kinds of thoughts about finding a friend, coming to grips with his reading and math struggles, his clumsiness, he sorts through all this with his generally good, thoughtful world view.Reading Benny’s observations can be laugh out loud funny; he is unsparing in his perceptions of what is going on around him. He has two older brothers, George is 12 who the family thinks of as medium-functioning autistic and Martin who is 14 and has gone from klutz, like all the Barrows, to tall enough for the basketball team and dating A-list Lisa. Benny has unvarnished thoughts about all of this, tempered with love and acceptance that resonate as an authentic nine year old world view.Themes of ability, disability, perceptions, subtle bullying, understanding, misunderstanding, applying perspective to little as well as huge problems, along with the supportive love of family and friends make this a must read.

I loved this book! I was a little hesitant to read it because middle grade doesn't always work for me, but I couldn't pass up a Cammie McGovern book. I love her writing so much, and this book did not disappoint.Benny is in 4th grade, and his best friend moved away at the end of last year. He is struggling to find new friends. He is also struggling at home. He feels responsible for his father's accident over the summer that has left his brain more than a bit muddled. His family is dealing fairly well. After all they have some experience given Benny's older brother, George, who is autistic.Then Benny's school starts a program to catch kids doing good deeds. Benny is determined to be recognized, but he is continually ignored. His teacher tries to explain that he's so good already; he shouldn't need the extrinsic motivation. But Benny does.This book is all about friendship and kindness. It has wonderful characters and terrific messages, but it never feels preachy. There were some many fun details as well: Benny's obsession with making Lego stop motion movies, his friend Olga and her hand drawn comic books, George's antics, and Benny's teacher.This book would make a great read aloud for children ages 8-10, and it is of course a great read for middle grade and up. I highly recommend it!http://www.momsradius.com/2016/04/boo...

Grades 4-8. Benny has an accident while bike riding that causes his dad to fall and hit his head. Hours later he collapses from what doctors say is an unrelated aneurism. His dad recovers quickly but struggles socially. He reminds the family of George, their son with autism. How unlucky can one family be to have the misfortune of two dysfunctional family members? Sometimes the burden seems too much. But friends are found in unexpected places. And like the book says, you have to make your own happiness. Beautiful storytelling overflowing with kindness and empathy."Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.You must wake up with sorrow.You must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the cloth.Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore."

I really enjoyed Just My Luck! I had previously read Cammie McGovern's Say What You Will, and though the stories have a similar baseline, I don't think that they can be compared to each other. I am very glad I didn't form my opinion of Just My Luck based on Say What You Will, because I do not think I would have liked it as much as I did. Benny is a prime example of what it feels like to be the sibling of a child with a disability, especially being the sibling that knows best how to respond to their quirks. A household struck by chaos has never been depicted so truly- if you are struggling to understand how to prevail in a time of chaos, or if you are trying to understand what it's like to love someone with a disability- READ THIS

Loved the voice and characters in this novel. I also enjoyed the subtle messages about growth mindset, practice and intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. Being a teacher who believes in PBIS, done with the right mindset, I enjoyed pausing to reflect about my feelings towards acknowledgement. I believe in we don't do ______ to get _____, and education should be a collaborative effort over competition. Both of these mindsets showed up for me, or at least really got me thinking about its power. I look forward to reading more from Cammie.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.A book on kindness, autism, family and friendship.Even though it’s a middle grade book, I enjoyed it quite alot.I cried a little reading that little poem Mr. Norris wrote to Benny.And I really like how the author approaches the autism issue in such a bright and positive way. I'm so in love with this book! 🐾🐾

McGoven could write a menu and I would read it and love it. She writes so well with heart about children with different abilities in her books and this book explodes with emotion. It reminded me of a combo of Courage For Beginners/Umbrella Summer/Rules....so touching, almost achingly so. Lovely.