Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Have you ever cleaned your room/closet and decided to donate your excess clothes to charity? Maybe it was a mother-ordered mandate to get rid of the clutter? Whatever the reason or inspiration, did you ever give away something you didn't really mean to give? What would you do to get it back?
Carrie's mother does just that. She gives Carrie's favorite T-shirt to the Help India foundation. Unfortunately, the T-shirt is not just a T-shirt. It was given to Carrie by her father, and she superstitiously believes it is the reason for every success in her young life. She must get it back.
Since the T-shirt is traveling to India, Carrie makes arrangements to travel there, too. Carrie arrives at the Help India headquarters to find herself bunking with several roommates in a hostel. The roommates are horrible, and India is nothing like she expected. She is assigned to the group building homes in Calcutta. Needless to say, Carrie seriously lacks building trade skills. From dropping a hammer on her flip-flop-exposed big toe to dropping a boxful of nails in wet concrete, Carrie is not very popular at the building site.
Much to her relief, Carrie meets Dee, who tells her about his work at the Calcutta Children's Shelter. When she's offered a chance to start volunteering there, she decides anything is better than her current situation. Her work with children is the beginning of a new understanding for Carrie. Maybe the T-shirt isn't that important after all.
When I started LUCKY T, I was frustrated with the whining of main character Carrie. As the storyline began to unfold, though, it gained depth and purpose, and everything fell into place. Kate Brian gives readers a chance to watch the growth of Carrie and what her experience teaches her about exactly what things/people are important in life.
Have you ever cleaned your room/closet and decided to donate your excess clothes to charity? Maybe it was a mother-ordered mandate to get rid of the clutter? Whatever the reason or inspiration, did you ever give away something you didn't really mean to give? What would you do to get it back?
Carrie's mother does just that. She gives Carrie's favorite T-shirt to the Help India foundation. Unfortunately, the T-shirt is not just a T-shirt. It was given to Carrie by her father, and she superstitiously believes it is the reason for every success in her young life. She must get it back.
Since the T-shirt is traveling to India, Carrie makes arrangements to travel there, too. Carrie arrives at the Help India headquarters to find herself bunking with several roommates in a hostel. The roommates are horrible, and India is nothing like she expected. She is assigned to the group building homes in Calcutta. Needless to say, Carrie seriously lacks building trade skills. From dropping a hammer on her flip-flop-exposed big toe to dropping a boxful of nails in wet concrete, Carrie is not very popular at the building site.
Much to her relief, Carrie meets Dee, who tells her about his work at the Calcutta Children's Shelter. When she's offered a chance to start volunteering there, she decides anything is better than her current situation. Her work with children is the beginning of a new understanding for Carrie. Maybe the T-shirt isn't that important after all.
When I started LUCKY T, I was frustrated with the whining of main character Carrie. As the storyline began to unfold, though, it gained depth and purpose, and everything fell into place. Kate Brian gives readers a chance to watch the growth of Carrie and what her experience teaches her about exactly what things/people are important in life.
