Not-So-Lucky Lefty by Megan McDonald

Judy Moody and Friends series. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763696054
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Not-So-Lucky Lefty is part of the Judy Moody and Friends series. It is Left Hander's Day and Judy is feeling a bit left out - she is a righty. Her dad and her brother, Stink, are lefties and they are off to the pretzel factory to celebrate. Judy is trying her best to use her left hand for everything but it is harder than it looks. However, Judy is invited to the pretzel factory as long as she promises to use her left hand all day. The factory is great despite Judy getting sauce all over her shirt. The family wins tickets to play mini golf thanks to their very gluey pretzel invention - Judy was in charge of using the glue with her left hand. Being a lefty is tricky, especially when you are really right-handed. Will Judy be able to play mini golf left-handed?
Not-So-Lucky Lefty is a lovely story for emerging independent readers. It is about persistence when trying something new as well as accepting your own strengths. It is a first novel when moving on from readers and the bright coloured and sometimes funny pictures help tell the story, making it appropriate for all readers moving into first novels. The vocabulary is descriptive and easy to read for confident readers and the small amounts of text on each page will build reading confidence as well. It is highly recommended for readers aged 7+.
Kylie Kempster