Three Times Lucky

Three Times Lucky

Author	Sheila Turnage
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	novel
Publisher	Puffin Books
Publication date	2012
Media type	Print
Pages	312 pp
ISBN	9780142426050

Three Times Lucky is a 2013 New York Times Best Seller adolescent novel by author Sheila Turnage. Three Times Lucky was a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 2013.^[1]

Plot

Three Times Lucky is the story of Miss Moses “Mo” LoBeau, a sixth grader living in a Tupelo Landing, North Carolina. Eleven years ago she was washed ashore during a hurricane. She is being raised by the Colonel and Miss Lana and together operate a cafe, along with Mo’s best friend Dale. Since then, Mo has been sending numerous letters down the river, hoping her “Upstream Mother” would find them and tell her why she let her go. The Colonel is one of the town’s other mysteries. He lost his memory in a car accident the night of the same hurricane that washed Mo ashore. Detective Starr is the newest stranger to Tupelo Landing. He isn’t welcomed and many of the townspeople are very skeptical about him, especially the Colonel.

But the people of Tupelo Landing are shocked when Mr. Jesse, a frequent cafe patron, is found murdered. Dale and Mo decide to solve the murder. They go to the crime scene and spy on two of Detective Starr’s deputies, Marla and Ben. Mo discovers the murder weapon- a wooden oar that belonged to Mr. Jesse's boat.

A few days after Mr. Jesse’s funeral, Mo comes home to find her house destroyed and Miss Lana missing. A note is found addressed to Detective Starr and suggests that Mr. Jesse’s murderer has kidnapped Miss Lana and the Colonel. Starr learns that Mr. Jesse's murderer is Robert Slate, a bank robber who recently escaped prison. He asks for $500,000 that was never recovered from the old bank robbery eleven years ago. They also learn that Mr. Jesse was involved in that old bank robbery and kept the $500,000 for himself.

Mo gets a call from the Colonel saying he escaped from Slate. Dale and Mo go to the Colonel's house to find a packet. Mo takes a quick peek and finds old newspaper clippings. Before they have a chance to leave, Slate enters the house. They head toward the living room and run into Marla, Detective Starr's deputy, who points a gun at them. The kids tie her up and run away to Dale's house. They find Dale's drunk and angry father, Mr. Macon, physically assaulting his mother. As Dale threats his father with a rifle, the Colonel barges through the door. They tie up Mr. Macon. He tells them that Miss Lana is being held at Mr. Jesse's house. When the Colonel returns, Mo and Dale tie Slate up. Detective Starr appears at the door and safely has Miss Lana.

Once the investigation is complete, Detective Starr presents a newspaper clipping that upsets and also brings some comfort to the Colonel about who he was before the car accident. It shows that he was a defense lawyer at Slate's trial, and he hates lawyers. They find a metal box under the floor that contains the remainder of the bank robbery money. Slate and Marla are arrested and the town gets back to its normal routine.

Characters

• Moses "Mo" Lobeau--A young girl who was abandoned during a hurricane eleven years ago. She helps run her adoptive parents' cafe while searching for her "Upstream Mother".
• Dale Earnhardt Johnson III--Dale is Mo's best friend who "borrows" Mr. Jesse's boat; the same boat that he is found murdered in. He also works with Mo at the cafe.
• The Colonel--He found Mo floating down the river during a hurricane eleven years ago. He was also in a car accident the same night he found Mo and has lost his memory.
• Miss Lana--Mo's other guardian, and the Colonel's lover, who is kidnapped by Robert Slate.
• Mr. Jesse--The frequent cafe patron who is found murdered.
• Detective Starr-- A lawman who comes into town to investigate Mr. Jesse's murder.
• Robert Slate--The man who murdered Mr. Jesse in order to avenge him for not sharing $500,000 they both stole in a bank robbery eleven years ago.
• Miss Rose--Dale's mother, who later divorces her husband.
• Mr. Macon--Dale's alcoholic and abusive father. He is hired by Robert Slate to hide him and bring him food.
• Marla--One of Detective Starr's deputies, who turned out to secretly be working with Robert Slate.
• Lavender--Dale's older brother who left his parents house to live on his own after fighting with his father. Mo has a huge crush on him.
• Mrs. Retzle--Mo's teacher and Joe Starr's girlfriend.

Critical Reception

Many critics say Three Times Lucky is a one of a kind Southern-style novel. A writer for Kirkus Reviews claims that Sheila Turnage's first adolescent novel is "an engaging, spirit-lifting and unforgettable debut for young readers".^[2] With a complex and multi-layered plot and its themes of romance, mystery and secret identities, readers of both genders will enjoy it. But some critics have mixed reviews. They believe it is hard to focus on reading when there too much plot. Throughout the novel Turnage constantly introduces new characters, plots and sub-plots which can cause readers to be confused about what the story is actually about. Jonathan Hunt of School Library Journal starts off by saying "the beginning is awfully slow",^[3] suggesting that readers will have to plow through the first couple chapters before the novel starts to actually make sense. But Hunt reassures that "the story does pick up steam".^[4] Carolyn Phelan of Booklist supports Hunt by saying "the pace quickens considerably as the mystery gains momentum, climaxing in an epic scene".^[5]

Awards

Newbery Medal Honor Book in 2013.

References