Janice Erlbaum

A funny and heartfelt realistic middle-grade novel about friendship, family, and the meaning of luck, from author Janice Erlbaum. Eighth-grader Emma Macintyre could use some good luck. The popular kids at her school ignore her, the boy she likes is out of her league, and her best friend has been ditching her for the mean girls. Worst of all, her beloved Aunt Jenny died recently, leaving Emma and her single mom reeling with grief. Then Emma receives a mysterious letter with no return address. The letter promises that ten lucky little things will happen to her over the next thirty days--she just has to make a list of what she wants. When the things on her list start coming true, she races to understand what's happening. How does this lucky letter work? Who sent it? And what's going to happen when the thirty days are done? Praise for Lucky Little Things: "With so many different subplots, a wide variety of readers will find this story relatable. The consistent reminders about the letter keep the story moving forward and create an irresistible page-turner." --School Library Journal "Erlbaum's first book for young readers is freshly voiced, modern, and accessible . . . Books that speak directly to the experiences of upper middle-schoolers are rare these days, often falling into the gap between middle grade and YA. A refreshingly honest look at the true meaning of luck." --Booklist

'Dave was coming back. I had told her I was leaving if she took him back. And she was taking him back. I walked out of the kitchen and into my bedroom, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door. My mother said, "Where do you think you're going?" I had no idea.'When her mother takes back her abusive boyfriend once again, Janice Erlbaum makes the desperate decision to run away from home. From her first frightening night at a shelter in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Janice knows she is in over her head. She is beaten up, shaken down and nearly stabbed by a pregnant girl. Yet as she becomes familiar with this world filled with prostitutes, crack heads and criminals, it's not long before she takes to drugs and promiscuity herself. But Janice has a choice ... keep on falling or build the life she set ran away to find. After a near-fatal overdose, she eventually finds the inner strength to turn her life around.

A columnist describes her troubled adolescence as a runaway in New York City, explaining why she exchanged her home for a life on the city streets; her struggle to balance school, the shelter system, and the temptations of the street; and her eventual successful battle to rescue herself from street life. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.