Three times lucky by Sheila Turnage

The plot of Three Times Lucky is so complicated (and so rewarding) I am not going to say too much here. If you want to read every detail here is a long review.

I liked this book so much because Mo (Miss Moses LoBeau) is such a feisty, determined and loyal young girl.  She has her own life problems such as her ongoing search for her mother and the mystery of her arrival at Tupelo Landing but she is also determined to protect the people who love her especially when a murderer is on the loose.

"Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt.  Almost before the dust had settled, Mr Jesse turned up dead and life in Tupelo Landing turned upside down.  As far as I know, nobody expected it."

Here is a treat - you can see other possible covers by Gilbert Ford.  Finally here is an interview with the author.

Read the Google blurb: Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.

If you enjoy books with strong characters you might also enjoy Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo and When you reach me by Rebecca Stead.

Turnage achieves a wickedly awesome tale of an 11-year-old girl with more spirit and gumption than folks twice her age. Mo LoBeau is destined to become a 

standout character in children’s fiction.