The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had may not be the longest title for a book, but it’s a pretty long one. I almost didn’t pick it up because of it – but I’m glad I did.

Dit and Emma are unlikely best friends – especially in America’s rural south in 1917. Dit comes from a huge family – ten kids in all. He struggles to get his parents’ attention in the midst of the chaos of his house.

Emma is the daughter of the new postmaster in town. And to the town’s horror, the postmaster is black. Emma came from Boston, is an only child and dresses much fancier than almost anyone Dit has ever seen – except maybe his school teacher.

Dit’s bad luck is that his family rents a cottage on the back of their property to the postmaster and his family. He was told the new postmaster had a son. And was sorely disappointed to discover not a son, but a daughter.

But over the course of the year, Dit and Emma become friends. As they navigate life in a segregated town, tempers flare and men are killed.

They must work together to help a friend escape town for the north – and learn how to say good-bye after the postmaster is transferred back north.

I loved this book – another great one by Kristin Levine, who also wrote The Lions of Little Rock and The Paper Cowboy.

Highly recommended for ages 8 and up.