The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
	The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based booklist available as an online-only Bulletin feature. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin, we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source. See the archive for lists from previous months.
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Broken Mirrors and Black Cats:  A Superstitious Dozen --selected by Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor The month brings us this year’s first Friday the Thirteenth, and as the protagonists of these books can tell you, bad luck is nothing to sneeze at. Fortunately for us, their scuffles with Lady Luck make for some pretty entertaining stories.

• Banks, Kate. Howie Bowles and Uncle Sam; illus. by Isaac Millman. Farrar, 2000. Gr. 2-4
  When third-grader Howie discovers that he was born on Friday the thirteenth, he’s convinced that he’s doomed to be unlucky, a suspicion that seems to be confirmed when he fails a math assignment, gets caught chewing gum, and finds himself hunted down by the IRS for the tidy sum of $112.15. (BCCB 1/01)

• Bateman, Teresa. Fiona’s Luck; illus. by Kelly Murphy. Charlesbridge, 2007. 5-9 yrs
  In this pleasingly illustrated picture book, the leprechaun king hides away all of Ireland’s luck away from the “big folk” and Fiona must engage in a battle of wits with the wee man if she is to save her people from hard times. (BCCB 4/07)

• Black, Holly. White Cat. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. Gr. 9-12
  In a world where magic – and specifically curse working – is both a crime and a necessity, seventeen-year-old Cassel must come to terms with his own abilities after discovering that he has been a player in and a victim of his family’s con game in this dark, urban fantasy. (BCCB 9/10)

• Bunce, Elizabeth C. A Curse Dark As Gold. Levine, 2008. Gr. 7-10
  This ingenious novel takes the tale of “Rumpelstiltskin” for its inspiration, focusing on a young eighteenth-century Englishwoman attempting to keep her family’s accident-prone mill afloat while accepting assistance from a mysterious visitor. (BCCB 3/08)

• Han, Jenny. Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream; illus. by Julia Kuo. Little, Brown, 2011. Gr. 2-3
  When Clara’s grandfather tells her that last night’s bad dream may be a sign of good luck, she finds it hard to believe, especially after she gets into a fight with her good friend Max, gets sent to her room during dinner, and is taunted when she signs up for the Apple Pie Princess contest. (BCCB 1/11)

• Haven, Paul. Two Hot Dogs With Everything; illus. by Tim Jessell. Random House, 2006. Gr. 4-7
  Despite his gametime rituals of avoiding sidewalk cracks and eating two hot dogs with everything, Danny Gurkin just can’t seem the change the luck of his favorite baseball team – until he adds chewing gum to his roster of superstitions and suddenly, his lovable losers hit winning streak. (BCCB 5/06)

• Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Little, Brown, 2009. Gr. 4-6
  Intent on changing the fortunes of her poor, desperate village, Minli sets off on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to the Fruitless Mountain (BCCB 9/09)

• Tomlinson, Heather. Toads and Diamonds. Henry Holt, 2010. Gr. 7-10
  With a vividly imagined landscape rife with beauty, power, and plague, this India-set retelling of a lesser-known Perrault tale explores the possibility that what appears to be bad luck can often be quite fortunate in the end. (BCCB 7/10)

• Trivas, Tracy. The Wish Stealers. Aladdin, 2010. Gr. 4-6
  Sixth-grader Griffin Penshine is constantly on the lookout for lucky charms but when she comes into the possession of eleven cursed pennies, she’d rather have no luck at all. (BCCB 3/10)

• Wilkowski, Sue. The Bad Luck Chair. Dutton, 2007. Gr. 3-5
  Addy is initially horrified when she arrives at her fourth-grade classroom one morning to discover that her own desk chair has been replaced with the infamous Brookside Elementary Bad Luck Chair, but soon she finds herself working with a classmate to remove the curse for good. (BCCB 10/07)

• Vail, Rachel Lucky. HarperTeen, 2008. Gr. 6-9
  Phoebe is threatened with social ostracism when a spate of bad luck leaves her mother jobless and her family unable to keep up with their posh lifestyle. (BCCB 6/08)

• Ylvisaker, Anne. The Luck of the Buttons. Candlewick, 2011. Gr. 4-6
  Lady Luck had never been on the side of the Button family, but when Providence finally smiles upon its youngest member on a hot July day in 1929, twelve-year-old Tugs wins not one but two blue ribbons at her town’s annual picnic, and uses her winnings to embark on an investigation that may save the town an from a swindler. (BCCB 4/11)

This page was last updated on May 1, 2011.