Lucky Luna

by Diana Lopez

Overview

Award-winning author Diana López returns to her middle-grade sweet spot in this delightful novel perfect for fans of Wendy Mass, Charise Mericle Harper, and Angela Cervantes.

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your primas...Luna Ramos has more cousins than she can count, and even though her mom says that makes her lucky, Luna knows that every time she gets in trouble, one of her primas is responsible.But when Luna locks her know-it-all cousin Claudia in the bathroom at their cousin's quinceañera, Luna has no one to blame but herself. Her punishment? No hats for a whole month-which is a big deal because Luna's always been embarrassed by her hair, and hats make her feel more comfortable.To make things even worse, Claudia is transferring to her school, and now she'll have a chance to tattle on Luna even more than she already does! Her grandmother offers some sage advice, but since it's in Spanish, Luna gets it all wrong, and when the kids at school begin making fun of Claudia, Luna must decide what matters more: family or her reputation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338232752
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Diana López is the author of Confetti Girl and several other books for young readers. She also has several primas, who she gets along with most of the time. Currently, Diana teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Houston in Victoria, Texas. For more information about Diana and her books, visit her online at dianalopezbooks.com.

Read an Excerpt

Luna Ramos has too many primas to count, but there's one cousin that's always getting her into trouble, Claudia. After locking her in the bathroom at their other cousin's quinceañera, Luna is grounded for a month. Her punishment? Not being allowed to wear her signature hats, which she uses to hide her birthmark, a streak of white in her otherwise dark hair. The only thing that gives Luna the tiniest bit of satisfaction is knowing that Claudia is also being teased because she has a big nose.Eventually, Luna discovers that Claudia was not being teased after all. Every joke Luna heard was actually directed at her! Luckily, Claudia comes to her rescue, standing up for Luna by telling the other kids to leave her alone. That's when Luna realizes the true meaning of her grandmother's wise advice — "blood is thicker than water." She and Claudia may not like each other, but they are still primas. And it's the job of primas to stand up for each other.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Lucky Luna:"Sweetly poignant... Luna is a great character for young readers who feel like they can't catch a break or maybe don't fit in all the time." — Booklist"Lopez depicts a modern-day Latina who embraces her culture even if she is learning about it and doesn't speak Spanish. Readers will find themselves chuckling at the situations Luna gets herself into and smiling at the satisfying ending." — School Library Journal"[A] heartwarming tale of growing up Latina... with endearing messages about the bond between family." — School Library ConnectionPraise for Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel:A VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers Pick2nd Place Winner of the 2014 NACCS Tejas Award for Young Adult FictionA Bank Street College Children's Book Committee Best Book of 2014 Selection"A funny and heartfelt story... Balancing the heavy subject matter with generous doses of humor and an authentic young teen voice, López crafts a story that blends family and middle school drama successfully." — Kirkus Reviews"López (Choke) skillfully balances emotional moments with humorous ones, offering an honest portrait of a family under strain. Chia's clever, cheeky voice and a strong cast contribute to an inspiring story about developing "a special kind of bravery." — Publishers Weekly"The many characters in Chia's life are individually and lovingly drawn... Readers will feel like Chia's family and friends could do anything as long as they stick together-and they may be right." — Booklist"Chia's voice shines... A fast-moving, absorbing read about how one person's illness can affect the whole family in many different ways." — School Library Journal"An honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but always hopeful look at how cancer affects family... Erika's story is full of the healing power of love." — Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of Summer of the Mariposas and Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite Tree"[This is a] story of struggle, of surviving, and what is oftentimes a difficult healing, but a healing nevertheless. My own promesa after reading Lopez's wonderful novel: to run alongside my wife and hundreds of thousands of others on that day of the Race for the Cure from here henceforth." — René Saldaña Jr., author of A Good Long Way"There is much substance and a powerful story here." — Library Media ConnectionPraise for Confetti Girl:"This debut novel puts at its center a likable girl facing realistic problems on her own terms." — Booklist"An appealing coming-of-age novel set in a traditional Mexican-American town." Kirkus Reviews"López delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times." — Publishers Weekly


Praise for Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel:

A VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers Pick
2nd Place Winner of the 2014 NACCS Tejas Award for Young Adult Fiction
A Bank Street College Children's Book Committee Best Book of 2014 Selection

"A funny and heartfelt story... Balancing the heavy subject matter with generous doses of humor and an authentic young teen voice, López crafts a story that blends family and middle school drama successfully." — Kirkus Reviews

"López (Choke) skillfully balances emotional moments with humorous ones, offering an honest portrait of a family under strain. Chia's clever, cheeky voice and a strong cast contribute to an inspiring story about developing "a special kind of bravery." — Publishers Weekly

"The many characters in Chia's life are individually and lovingly drawn... Readers will feel like Chia's family and friends could do anything as long as they stick together-and they may be right." — Booklist

"Chia's voice shines... A fast-moving, absorbing read about how one person's illness can affect the whole family in many different ways." — School Library Journal

"An honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but always hopeful look at how cancer affects family... Erika's story is full of the healing power of love." — Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of Summer of the Mariposas and Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite Tree

"[This is a] story of struggle, of surviving, and what is oftentimes a difficult healing, but a healing nevertheless. My own promesa after reading Lopez's wonderful novel: to run alongside my wife and hundreds of thousands of others on that day of the Race for the Cure from here henceforth." — René Saldaña Jr., author of A Good Long Way

"There is much substance and a powerful story here." — Library Media Connection


Praise for Confetti Girl:

"This debut novel puts at its center a likable girl facing realistic problems on her own terms." — Booklist

"An appealing coming-of-age novel set in a traditional Mexican-American town." Kirkus Reviews

"López delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
Gr 4–6—The only lucky thing that has ever happened to Luna Ramos is having Mabel as a best friend. Luna has just found out that her cousin Claudia will be attending her school, and will even be in the same class. With so many other primas, why did she have to get stuck with Claudia, who cannot mind her own business and is always getting her in trouble both at school and at home? It's bad enough that Luna is struggling in Spanish class and is now forbidden from wearing her adorable collection of hats to school for locking Claudia in the bathroom at her cousin Mirasol's quinceañera. Now all the kids will see her white hair due to poliosis and call her a skunk! When Luna turns to her primas and abuela for advice, she ends up getting it all wrong and getting deeper into trouble. Lopez depicts a modern-day Latina who embraces her culture even if she is still learning about it and doesn't speak Spanish. VERDICT Readers will find themselves chuckling at the situations Luna gets herself into and smiling at a satisfying ending.—Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX

School Library Journal

2018-05-23
From the day she was born, 10-year-old Texan Luna Ramos has never been without a hat—or without cousins. The hats cover a white swath of hair, poliosis, which her family believes was caused by a lunar eclipse. But after Luna locks her prima—and nemesis—Claudia in the restroom during another cousin's quinceañera celebration, Luna's mom prohibits the use of any hats for a month. This compassionless maternal edict doesn't result in the dread readers might expect from self-conscious Luna; instead she appears more inconvenienced than traumatized. "I hate being singled out. Do I have to deal with this for a whole month?" The roots of bossy Luna and tattletale Claudia's mutual hostility are, disappointingly, never satisfactorily divulged. Complicating their toxic relationship is the fact that Claudia has just been transferred to Luna's school and the plethora of primas weaving in and out of the narrative. They continuously contribute misinformation via what Luna calls the "Chisme Channel." Gossip is the coin of the land, and the feud doesn't lack for cash. Readers may have a hard time warming up to Luna. Her first-person, not-particularly-reliable narrative may have readers wishing they could spend some time out of her head—perhaps in Claudia's and in Luna's levelheaded Filipina-American best friend Mabel's, as well. The Mexican Spanish phrases and slang sprinkled throughout do add some pop.Not up to par with López's (Nothing up My Sleeve, 2016, etc.) previous titles. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews