num_pages: 320
description: When 11-year-old Ellis Earl Brown learns that a famous United States senator might be coming to Mississippi, he can’t believe it. After all, why would a fancy man from Washington D.C. come all the way to the Delta just to see how poor folks lived?It’s 1967. And Ellis Earl Brown isn’t asking for much. An adequate amount of food for his large family would be nice. A house that doesn’t rattle in a strong wind, or leak when it rains, would be great also. But “times is hard for everybody”as Mama has said, and Ellis Earl finds it hard to keep hope alive.When his teacher, Mr. Foster, gives him a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ellis Earl wonders if he can be like Charlie Bucket. Though he doesn’t receive a lucky golden ticket, Ellis Earl does discover that sometimes being a hero simply means being in the right place at the right time. Things begin to look up for Ellis Earl and his family after he is among the five students chosen to go on a field trip to the Jackson Airport to greet Senator Robert Kennedy.Exploring poverty, racism, and the power of education through the eyes of a kid who dreams of brighter days, The Lucky Ones will resonate with fans of Rex Ogle’s Free Lunch, Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard, and Lesa Cline-Ransome’s Finding Langston.
language: English
title: The Lucky Ones
publisher: Candlewick Press