The Lucky Ones

“A compelling story about racism, poverty, and the power of community to help lift people up. . . . An excellent recommendation.” —Booklist (starred review)

It’s 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer and live in a big house. There’ll always be enough food, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work. So Ellis Earl applies himself at school, soaking up the lessons that Mr. Foster teaches—particularly those about famous colored people like Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright—and borrowing books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from his teacher’s bookshelf. But when Mama tells Ellis Earl that he might need to quit school to help support the family, he wonders if happy endings are only possible in storybooks.