LUCKY STRIKES, by Louis Bayard

The story: When Melia's mother dies, it looks like Melia, Janey and Earle have struck out: they're orphans with no family to take them in, and with greedy businessman Harvey Blevins looking to drive them out of business. The obvious conclusion: they need to find themselves a daddy right away. So when a bum rolls off a passing truck, Melia seizes the day (and the bum) and offers Hiram Watts a job as her long-lost dad. Can the kids and Hiram pull it off? Or are they bound for foster care after all?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence PG-13 (one of the kids kills someone, but it's in self defense and is not graphic); Sexual content PG (a character has a baby out of wedlock); Nudity G; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; adult themes (being orphaned; deceit; general evil-doing by the bad guy) PG; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: So the overall rating, and the R sub-ratings, are weird, because this is a charming story about a girl trying to keep her family together, and finding that family can include a lot more than just your immediate kin. However, the cussing (while it comes across as cultural) is still cussing, and it makes the book less suitable for younger audiences. You're more than halfway through the book before you figure out that the main character is 14, so that's weird too. A lot of the subplots are more suitable for older readers too, but the cover is deceptive and makes it appear that the story is good for elementary-aged kids--not so much. Middle-school readers not bothered by bad language will find themselves rooting for the rule breaking, tender-hearted Melia.