LUCKY STARS
by Lucy Frank
A stray duck and an enthusiastic music teacher show three middle-school kids how to find their own voices and sing in harmony. Kira has a beautiful voice that her unemployed musician father exploits by conning her to sing in the subway with the family ensemble. Humiliated, Kira refuses to sing. Jake is a good student, but cuts classes to avoid the embarrassment of his stutter and well-meaning offers of speech therapy from teachers. Jake and his gregarious, garrulous best friend Eugene get together with Kira when they rescue a stray duck in a snowstorm. But as Kira and Jake become more than friends, Eugene’s friendship with Jake may be threatened. All comes together when the three join Ms. Hill’s chorus. Here Jake finds his voice, Kira reclaims hers and the natural entertainer in Eugene emerges. In alternating voices, Kira and Jake tell their funny and touching story with Eugene’s foghorn voice coming in for the final coda. Readers will thank their lucky stars when they meet this trio. (Fiction. 10-14)