Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Three Times Lucky

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Title:  Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage (link)
Genre:  Contemporary
Pub Date: May 2012

Goodreads Synopsis: Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.

First Line: Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt.

If you haven't read Three Times Lucky, then I recommend that you stop reading this now and do the following:
1.) Request it from the library or run (at a safe pace) to the book store and get yourself a copy.
2.) Read it immediately!!! Seriously, immediately. You won't regret it.

I first heard about this fantastic contemporary mystery during Heather Alexander's Voice Lessons workshop at an SCBWI boot camp. And for good reason. Mo's voice steals the show in this book. Her quirky, charming perspective along with the colorful Southern setting and a page-turning mystery are all the right ingredients for a story sure to be read over and over. 

Why You'll Love Mo: Moses LoBeau is as unique and sassy as her name. This big fish in a small pond makes everyone's business her own. Kids will love her hilariously opinionated perspective and admire her fierce love for her family and community. 

Three Times Lucky Themes: family, friendship, community, crime, justice, mysteries, problem solving, class. 

Three Times Lucky Awards: Newbery honor winner, New York Times bestseller, Edgar Award Finalist, and E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor book. 

Want to find more marvelous middle grade books? Check out my past picks, as well as these MMGM bloggers who have more recommendations every Monday!