Sara Farizan

Lila hasn't yet found her "thing" the way her best friend Melanie has soccer, her bandmate Carolina has piano, and her talented, competitive older sister Parisa has, well, everything. When Lila learns that the school music program might get cut, she goes to the bank to ask for a loan, and while she's there, she finds a little box with a key inside; when she reads the inscription on the box, Lady Luck herself pops out, in the form of an eleven-year-old called Felise. Felise will stay with Lila for seven days, during which Lila will have good luck, but she must keep the key close during that time. Of course, the rich, powerful old white guy who dropped the key wants it back; but Felise tells Lila that they key found her, and Lila - unlike, apparently, all the other people Felise has helped throughout history - uses her luck only to benefit others, donating prize money to the school music program. She also - unlike others - seems to care for Felise personally, not just for what she can do for her. In return, Felise helps Lila see that she is already lucky, and she already has a thing: the comics and animation she loves.

Shiny good fun, with some suspense, and a satisfying ending. Lila's family is Persian-American.

Quotes

"Bad luck happens to good people sometimes and good luck happens to bad people sometimes, but belief in oneself and taking chances one otherwise wouldn't can impact someone's fortune." (Felise to Lila, 48)

...I do know that I like feeling a part of things. I want to help in some way, even it's by doing something small... (59)

I always thought that if a person was good at something, it had to be because they loved it. (80)

"I don't believe there's anything shameful about things that don't harm anyone and provide us and others joy. The real shame would be not pursuing one's interests. In trying to be like everyone else, no?" (Felise, 125)

"That's the problem with humans and innovation....Your kind always ask yourselves if you can build something, but never whether you should." (Felise, 164)… (més)

I don't normally read horror, but I had to get this book after meeting the author at a book festival and having the BEST time listening to her sell it! She was hilarious, and I somehow thought the book would be funnier too. I was a little wrong about that part, but it does have some lighter moments and it wasn't nearly as horror-ific as I might have feared. It's a great read-alike for fans of Stranger Things, because it's set in a small town in both 1992 and 1987, there are a fair amount of 80's and 90's pop culture references, kids sneaking around without adults knowing, random people going missing due to supernatural means--and a possibly haunted pinball machine is involved! It's also a nice LGBT coming-out story, well, a partial coming-out, because main character Cori still can't come out publicly, but as she grows closer to potential girlfriend Janet, she's sorting out her feelings and at least acknowledging them to her. Great hook for a story: high school seniors and former best friends Maz and Cori are confronted with the sudden return of their best friend Sam, who disappeared five years ago--and who is still 12 years old! They have to try to figure out what happened, and why, and oh no Sam seems to maybe be evil now...but also, he's still the same immature goofball he was back then. Fun horror-lite story about outgrowing friendships and rekindling them, and the deceptive lure of nostalgia. Lots of fun.… (més)