Customer Reviews

Laura's Luck

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Give me a beach chair, blue sky, calm rushing waves and - most importantly - the exact book fair gray Apple paperback bearing "Laura's Luck" and an illustration of girls around a campfire except for two just talking (one Laura, no doubt)-and I am TOTALLY free. This book was my absolute "fave" back in elementary school and junior high. Who needs hard books when you've got Marilyn Sachs's story of a girl struggling to like Camp Tiorati, THE camp for city children in the 40s'? While most kids now reading Marilyn Sachs will never hear of this book plainly because of the fact (sadly) it's out-of-print, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and unfortunately as soon as I bought it: it would soon be out of print. Don't ask me how: I just had a thing for this book. I would loan it to my friend, who would in turn loan it to someone else. My entire 5B year I worried who could have my book at the moment. I got it back. Since then I promised "I'll never loan you, Laura" (I told you I loved it too much! ) But all in all I still I have that book fair copy. Too good to be true!

The trilogy of Amy and Laura books were my absolute favorite when I was a kid. I read and reread them until my copies were destroyed and falling apart. Whenever I want to revisit my childhood and escape into a simpler and better time, I pull out my copies I have bought as an adult and read them again. I can not explain why these books created such an impression but you just have to read them to know. I recommend all mothers of pre-teen girls to go out and buy these wonderful books that are back in print.

My mom got me this book a few years ago, and no matter how many times I read it, I still love it!! Its about the sisters Laura and Amy and their first year at a summer camp. At first Laura hates it, but as soon as she makes a new friend, Anna, things start looking up! There are a few suprises in store for the reader, but I'm not gonna tell, read this book for yourself and find out!

I stumbled upon Marilyn Sachs' book as a child after finding "Amy and Laura" at the church rummage sale, and I ended up reading all the books about Amy, Laura, Veronica, Peter and the whole gang that I could get my hands on. I would have to say out of all the books, this one, "Laura's Luck," was my favorite, right down to the jacket on the edition I had that showed all the girls from the story seated around the campfire. In this book, shy Laura, who lives in New York City, goes off to the alien environment of camp, and boy does she hate it at first. She's self-conscious of having braces (the ugly, old-fashioned metal kind, since this is the 1930s) on her teeth, and she'd rather be home alone reading a book than having to deal with all these new people and a strange environment. Even when she finds something she really wants to do, like make a ceramic bowl for her Mama in pottery class, it always seems to go wrong. But as time goes by, Laura makes a good friend named Anne, discovers her strengths (she's good at collecting and identifying leaves), deals with a few tricky interpersonal situations and emerges with a newfound confidence.

This book is a lot of fun because Laura and Anne do so many different things at camp and have some great adventures. Furthermore, because they're at camp, which is sort of a timeless setting, the book doesn't seem that dated except maybe for Laura's orthdontic work.

This book meant so much to me when I was young. I, too, was a bookworm and I identified so strongly with Laura. This book helped me feel better and more accepting of myself. I enjoyed it over and over, and remember it vividly. Here I am, forty years later, looking for a copy!

I read my copy until the cover tore off. Lots of fun summer adventures!!! Very realistic even though it's a bit dated (it takes place in the 1940's)- bunk bully, homesickness, friendships, trials and tribulations of a first time camper. I highly recommend it.

THis book is different from the other two books in the series in that it takes place in the country at a camp instead of the Bronx. Sisters Amy and Laura, following a terrible accident and a family emergency, wind up at summer camp (for like, ALL SUMMER! 8 weeks! WHOOA! Good Lord: what a nightmare!) I had a sad camping experience as a kid and like Laura, i was a quiet bookworm who was close to my folks and hated summer camp. It freaked me out to think of being sent to camp for that long since i could not even handle 1 week when i went! I read this book at age 11 when my social life spun out of control. I became very insecure about a lot of things and could relate to Laura. However, i think Laura was, well, sort of a crybaby. I didn't like the way she was always down on herself (then again, i guess i did the same thing to myself at that age) and i didn't like the way she complained about her braces; I mean, she should be thankful for what she's got. Braces are expensive and I wanted them bad at her age and was happy to get them; they are worth the money and pain. Also, my dad says when he was a kid in the 1940's they didn't normally put braces on kids. I think Laura should have considered herself lucky that she was on the way to having straight pretty teeth and not gripe about it, but I guess braces in the 40's were retched-looking compared to now so I don't know. There are a few parts in this book that irritated me. I thought that Laura and her other bunkmates let that chick Betty (an annoying character) push them around too much. I would'nt have. But it shows you how peer pressure works among kids, and all in all it's a neat book and I really would'nt change a thing about it, and in the end the author ties up all the loose ends and Laura is a more confident young lady who made a true friend, Anne, and some other friends. Interesting thing to note: the Apple Paperback copies of these books have no illustrations but when I was in grade school the school library carried hardback copies of the three Amy and Laura books and they were illustrated!