Dolphin Luck [Paperback]

Hilary McKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2001

It's Christmas, and the inhabitants of Porridge Hall are suffering from the winter blues. The weather is horrible, Mrs Robinson's ill, and, to top it all off, the Brogan's dog, Old Blanket, dies. So when the children hear the tale of a dolphin sword which brings good fortune, they're determined to track it down ...Unfortunately, however, Mrs Robinson is in decline, so Ant and Perry are shipped off to stay with Aunt Mabel, while Beany and Sun Dance are left with Mrs Brogan. Aunt Mabel, it transpires, is a silver-haired eccentric living in a menagerie - and not at all what the children expect. Then Sun Dance discovers a burglar, and the mystery of Aunt Mabel is revealed ...

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-The Robinsons return in a fun and fast-moving story. It begins with bad luck, Old Blanket's death and Mrs. Robinson's lingering illness. When Mr. Robinson takes her to a warm place to recover, the four children are farmed out: Perry and Ant take the train to Mad Aunt Mabel's, and Beany and Sun Dance stay with the Brogans on the other side of Porridge Hall. Beany decides they all need some good luck, and when Mrs. Brogan tells a story about a Viking shipwreck and a wish-granting dolphin sword, the child decides to find it. The story smoothly shifts back and forth between the two households and is meticulously plotted. McKay is a wonderfully old-fashioned writer in her use of rich language (Tilly is "...like a handful of brown leaves, bright rags, thistledown, and feathers, brushed up into a corner and molded into life"), vivid characters, and eventful plots. And, while there's certainly an undercurrent of loss and not always welcome change, there's also a strong sense that the world is a good and interesting place. This author has a great way of mixing the sad and the funny and the bizarre-just like real life. An overall delight.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Mistaken identity, a wish-granting sword, and a too-successful burglar trap all figure into this family story about some very unusual and perceptive children who take on the world with joie de vivre. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Childrens (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340791861
• ISBN-13: 978-0340791868
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,342,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny!, October 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dolphin Luck (Paperback)

Dog Friday, the first book in this series, had one of the funniest scenes ever written; Dolphin Luck has even more hysterical parts. Yes, it's a bit far-fetched, but not impossible, and that's part of the fun, and all the bits fit together at the end. If you like books about kids who just can't seem to stay out of trouble, you'll like Dolphin Luck.

5.0 out of 5 stars I really liked this book., June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dolphin Luck (Paperback)

It's about a little girl named Beany. She hears a story about a dolphin sword that can grant wishes, and then she figures out that the person that owned the sword lived in Porridge Hall, which is where she lives. And she goes up in the attic and she finds the dolphin sword, and it grants her wishes. Her mother is really sick, so she wishes that her mother would be better.

I liked it because it was a very good book. It kept leaving me on cliffhangers, so I couldn't put it down.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dolphin Luck - a good story, but hard to follow, October 14, 2000

By 

Jenni "jenni35" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dolphin Luck (Hardcover)

The underlying story of Dolphin Luck is good, but I found it a bit hard to follow. If the story had been told from one character's point of view or if the story would have focused mainly on one character, it would have been easier, I believe, to really understand this book. Instead, the narrator jumps back and forth, following four characters, brothers and sisters, over the course of a few weeks. It was hard to remember which character I was reading about, much less care about the characters, who were not well-rounded. While I am a McKay fan, I had great difficulty when deciding whether or not to continue this book.