FISHING For LUCK by Murray Richter – Middle Grade Fiction, Family & Friendships, Coming of Age

During the pre-internet era of 1980, Kevin and his friends just want to enjoy a good fishing adventure, but troubles from the past come back to complicate their carefree boyhood in Murray Richter’s novel, Fishing for Luck.

As the group prepares their fishing raft for its maiden voyage, Kevin tries to solve these problems himself before anyone else knows of them, but no matter what he tries, the situation only gets worse. His parents seem on the verge of a divorce, his mentor struggles to find his long-lost love, and his sister just wants her bike back already. As Kevin takes on more and more responsibility to avoid what seem to be inevitable consequences, will he be able to see that this is all too much for one kid to handle and ask those he trusts for help?

Fishing For Luck is a wild ride of pre-teen hijinks reminiscent of the golden age of coming-of-age comedies and sitcoms we all know and love. Our young main character gets into a situation where everything goes wrong, and scrambles to fix it before anyone notices. Kevin’s predicament becomes engrossing with an extra dose of danger.

Rudy and Preech, Kevin’s friends, make a close-knit group with him that loves fishing, pranking each other, and learning from their mentor, Preech’s uncle.

Kevin cares deeply about his friends and family, and part of his desire to solve his problems on his own comes from a wish to protect them. He faces the dilemma that if he tells anyone, then the people he cares about will face harm. During the parts of the story where he’s with Rudy and Preech, but can’t share what is going on, they still manage to cheer him up because they’re great friends who understand each other.

Fishing For Luck shows that we don’t always give kids enough credit.

They are smart and can have great ingenuity, yet they may not have thought fully about the consequences of their actions. However, Kevin and his loyal gang face the problem head-on and try to find a solution.

Author Murray Richter creates a funny and creative middle-grade story that people of all ages can enjoy. Kevin is a relatable character with a big heart and strong beliefs, dealing with a spiral of misfortune. Don’t miss out on this story of kids taking on the world in Fishing For Luck.

Fishing for Luck by Murray Richter won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Fiction, and the audiobook, performed by actor/narrator Kirby Heyborne is available now!