Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    A Big Dose of Lucky
    Unavailable
    A Big Dose of Lucky
    Unavailable
    A Big Dose of Lucky
    Audiobook6 hours

    A Big Dose of Lucky

    Written by Marthe Jocelyn

    Narrated by Kelly Pruner

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Malou has just turned sixteen, hardly old enough to be out in the world on her own, and all she knows for sure is that she’s of mixed race and that she was left at an orphanage as a newborn. When the orphanage burns to the ground, she finds out that she may have been born in a small town in Ontario’s cottage country. Much to her surprise, Parry Sound turns out to have quite a few young brown faces, but Malou can’t believe they might be related to her. After she finds work as a cleaner in the local hospital, an Aboriginal boy named Jimmy helps her find answers to her questions about her parents. The answers are as stunning and life-changing as anything Malou could have imagined back at the orphanage.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers Audio
    Release dateSep 22, 2015
    ISBN9781459810877
    Unavailable
    A Big Dose of Lucky
    Author

    Marthe Jocelyn

    Marthe Jocelyn is the award-winning author and illustrator of over thirty-five books for babies, kids and teens. Her illustrated books have been shortlisted for both the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. In 2009 she was the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. One Red Button and One Piece of String are the result of her lifelong obsession with scraps, and her delight in surprising the reader with unexpected details. Originally from Toronto, Marthe settled in Stratford, Ontario, after a thirtyyear stretch in New York. For more information, visit www.marthejocelyn.com.

    Related to A Big Dose of Lucky

    Related audiobooks

    YA Social Themes For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      What About Tiger Woods?

      Apr 1, 2021

      When Tiger exploded into the global consciousness, father Earl declared he would have greater humanitarian influence than Nelson Mandela, Gandhi or the Buddha. One of Nike’s early ad campaigns played heavily on the race angle and many expected Tiger’

      1 min read

    • Article

      HOW I WRITE Lucinda Riley

      Jun 17, 2019

      Irish-born Lucinda Riley is the bestselling author of over 20 novels. Her Seven Sisters series has topped the charts the world over, and has been optioned for a TV show. I have to write my first draft in total solitude. As we have four kids and our

      1 min read

    • Article

      Beth O’leary

      May 6, 2021

      Beth O’Leary came up with the idea for her new novel while holidaying in France. “I’m rarely led by locations – my characters tend to come first – but in this case, beautiful, sunny Provence proved a huge inspiration,” she tells WHO. In The Road Tr

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      Jan 20, 2020

      My year off was also interesting, in that I didn’t feel any less loved, or cherished, or wanted. Why? Because my life is already rich with soulmates, and I got the chance to behold that. You don’t have to shag someone for them to be a soulmate. We do

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Ones We Sent Away

      Aug 7, 2023

      The Ones We Sent Away
      47 min read

    • Article

      Why Mothers Are the Unsung Heroes of Prison

      May 10, 2019

      “I’ve seen disasters averted, even a gang war set aside because of these simple words: 'What would your mother think?'”

      4 min read

    • Article

      Apparent

      Mar 3, 2020

      When my son Henry was a year old I took him to Boston to meet my mother. She didn’t show up. It turned out that she had gone to Foxwoods Casino instead, which sounds bad and maybe was, but it had been three years since I’d seen her or even spoken to

      20 min read

    • Article

      Q-tip Options

      Oct 10, 2023

      I am not a good person. Abby was at my door. My reaction when I saw her should have been more charitable. She was young and cute and needy, but all I wanted was a nice relaxing day at home. When the police questioned her, I should have let them take

      16 min read

    • Article

      I Never Called Her Momma

      Sep 13, 2023

      I Never Called Her Momma
      39 min read

    • Article

      My Best Friend

      Oct 1, 2020

      My Best Friend
      6 min read

    • Article

      Happy Endings

      Sep 1, 2023

      Happy Endings
      5 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2020

      The purpose of being alive is to carry a sequence of code.And so, being adopted, I’m part of a plot, a sleeper cellin enemy territory, quietly working against the systemfrom within. It’s fall, I’m on an ancestry website signing up for a DNA kit,becau

      4 min read

    • Article

      LOVE Is Blind

      Jul 9, 2020

      LOVE Is Blind
      3 min read

    • Article

      On The First Month Of COVID...

      Dec 1, 2021

      On The First Month Of COVID...
      2 min read

    Reviews for A Big Dose of Lucky

    4/5

    10 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      An emotional and ultimately sweet novel that explores what it means to belong, to have a family, and to be an individual. As the parent of an adopted kid (though not an orphan), some of it was rather emotional for me. I enjoyed it, but would really like to hear from the perspective of people of colour as to if it spoke to them.
    • 4/5
      A unique book from a unique perspective. I enjoyed A Big Dose of Lucky very much because it was not the usual young adult read. A young person of color surrounded by white society in 1960's Canada, Malou's brave search for answers about her background led her to new experiences. She faced road blocks and struggles carefully but with determination. I would certainly recommend this book to young people and adults alike. Thank you to Library Thing's Early Reviewer program for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
    • 4/5
      The Secrets series follows 7 orphans after the Benevolent Home burns down. Malou is given a hosptial ID bracelet that was the only thing left with her when an old white woman left her on the door of the orphanage. She travels from somewhere in southern Ontario to Parry Sound to track down information about her birth from the hospital named on the bracelet. She's always been "the brown one" at the orphanage and she's happy to find other non white faces, befriending an First Nations boy and, after getting a job as a cleaner at the hospital, finding that most of the cleaning staff isn't white. As she digs deeper into the mystery of her birth, she finds a young woman who looks a lot like her and secrets start to be revealed. The book is set a few years back, there's definitely a lot of racism at play, and it's addressed head on.
    • 5/5
      This was a fantastic coming of age story with a sweet and innocent main character named Malou. After a fire forces her out of her orphanage and into the real world she is met with every challenge a 16 year old, mixed race girl could imagine during the 1960s and assuredly, many she had never even dreamed. This is definitely not your typical "orphan" story, although Malou references and connects with many of them throughout the book. I love the creative twist that brought her story to completion, definitely unexpected. As she makes new friends and tries to find family, you can't help but root for her to get her happily ever after.
    • 4/5
      Marthe Jocelyn has created a wonderful, engaging character in Malou, a black orphan living in 1960's Canada. Malou tells us of her life as if she were writing a diary which puts us directly in her head. Surrounded by racial prejudice and the strange mix of kindly guilt many feel towards orphans, it is a surprising twist for most modern readers that 16-year old Malou is left to the streets after the orphanage burns. Setting out to seek her birth-mother guided by an old hospital bracelet, Malou journeys to Parry Sound in Canada against the backdrop of the American Civil Rights Movement she learns of vicariously. In Parry Ound, Malou finds a job, other black people who may, or may not be her relatives, and makes a group of new friends who want to help her in her quest. Take this journey with Malou from her fear and uncertainty at the start as she gains in strength and surety. You won't be disappointed.
    • 5/5
      When the orphanage that has been her home since she was abandoned there at birth closes, 16-year-old Malou is sent out on her own, with only a hospital bracelet as a clue to her true identity. This is a well-written, captivating tale of a young girl's resilience and ingenuity as she heads outs to discover the truth about her mother and family. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A Big Dose of Lucy was an easy and engaging read that I would recommend to teenagers and above. I liked how the plot was very forward thinking covering issues such as race, class, and sexual orientation without being too obvious about them. Though the plot was slightly unbelievable at times (a properly run home for girls is just sending children off into the world without any guidance? Probably not) it was fun to follow. I also liked how Malou gained friends and a place in the world by the end of the story.I would be interested in reading the rest of the Secrets series.
    • 3/5
      Malou has grown up in a Canadian orphanage believing her parents were dead. However, when the orphanage burns down, the former headmistress gives Malou some clues that may indicate her family is alive and can be found. With no where to go and very little money, she sets off on a journey to track down her heritage.Malou is also one of the few "brown" people living in her area of Canada. She's been pretty sheltered at the orphanage, but has faced some racial prejudice in town. She runs into more during her journey, but not as much as I'd have expected, particularly considering the book takes place in the 1960's. Maybe Canada has always been a slightly nicer place? Maybe the realism was toned down because this is a YA title?The story also seems a little too convenient to be believed, although the title indicates that Malou is very lucky in her quest, but things seem to fall into place for her pretty quickly without a lot of hardship. Malou also has read an impressive amount of fiction books on the subject of orphans and relates herself to them frequently, referencing Anne of Green Gables, The Jungle Book, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Readers unfamiliar with those books will probably not be confused by the references, as they are pretty well explained, and maybe prompted to seek out those excellent titles. The book was entertaining and a pretty quick read, but not terribly challenging or remarkable.
    • 4/5
      I think this book could have turned out better than it did. It had a really good premise, interesting and kind of unique, but for me anyway, the story dragged and I had a hard time caring very much whether Malou discovered her roots or not. I did like how the story progressed in fits and starts and Malou ran into dead ends with her research, like she would have in real life, but there wasn't much else I liked about the story. I struggled to finish it, though I admit I liked the ending because what happened was something that had literally never occurred to me.I know this book is part of a series. Based on what I've read so far, I don't think I'm going to read any of the others.