Lucky O'Leary has never been very lucky--until his grandfather sends him a lottery ticket that turns out to be a million-dollar winner! But before Lucky can cash it in, someone sneaks into his house and steals it. Now it's up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to track down the thief and return the ticket--before Lucky loses out!
After The Kidnapped King severely stretched my suspension of disbelief, The Lucky Lottery offers Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose a mystery that's far more realistic for them to solve. Instead of trusting these elementary schoolers with the future of a fictional country, The Lucky Lottery sees them reunited with an old friend who has a new mystery. Lucky O'Leary, last seen in The Bald Bandit, makes his return when he asks the three child sleuths to help him recover a missing lottery ticket. He thinks it's been stolen... but even if he finds the thief, how will he be able to prove that the winning ticket specifically is his?
As usual, it's a fairly solid mystery. The clues aren't so obvious that older readers and parents reading along will feel they or their child is being talked down to, though the occasional punny names can be a bit eye-roll-inducing (depending on your stance on puns, of course!). The lack of overt suspects in the story makes it a bit obvious as to who the culprit is going to be, but likely in a way that a young child is going to pick up on. And Josh Pinto gets a bit more characterization, displaying a talent for and interest in art and drawing in a similar move to the introduction of his affection for animals in The Falcon's Feathers.
A to Z Mysteries fans should love the book, and general mystery and children's book fans should be entertained at the very least. As always, I highly recommend the series.
