The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had; Kristin Levine

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in 1917/18, this story of the friendship between a white boy and a colored girl in Moundsville AL is not a Heavy Message Book; it's a book about being friends, growing up, standing up for what's right and making choices without a lot of preaching.

Dit's reaction to learning that the new postmaster's son is a girl is spot on, as is his slow realization that to be a man means being kinder to others and being honest. Emma's character also rang true... most of the time. Possibly that's because we see her through Dit's eyes. The only character that I didn't quite "get" was Mrs. Pooley, at the end. It felt as though her character did too big a change to be real.

Racism, both casual and overt, is the main thread in this book; Levine does a decent job of showing what a complex thing it really was back then.

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