Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

If you enjoyed reading Summer of L.U.C.K., you will enjoy this sequel, Ready or Not (Summer of L.U.C.K. Trilogy) by Laura Segal Stegman with illustrations by Victoria Marble. Justin Pennington is back along with his friends Darby McAllister and Naz Nezri at Camp Inch along with Leroy Usher, Carnival King (L.U.C.K.), who possesses magical powers. This is the second year that thirteen-year-old Justin is attending the camp and immediately he begins to experience some familiar incidents. Just like in his neighborhood, he is faced with seeing another kid being victimized by biased remarks, which is the same thing that happened to one of his best friends, Naz. Justin was taught at the Tolerance Center that if you are a victim or see others being victimized to tell an adult. Even though these incidents sicken him, he continues to watch, paralyzed in fear instead of mustering up the courage to speak out against the offense. Why? Is what happened at the neighborhood park last month keeping him in fear?

I highly recommend Ready or Not by Laura Segal Stegman because, in today’s society, our children need to have the tools and resources necessary to combat oppression of any form. This book is ideal for preteens and teens because it displays the choices one makes when either experiencing or witnessing social injustice behaviors. The most important factor taught in this book is that despite the magical element that Mr. Usher gifted the three of them with, which they originally thought was the answer to everything, when faced with tough choices magical skills aren't the answer. The answer is the ability to become courageous and speak up either for yourself or others when injustice surfaces. If you haven’t read it yet, grab this book and the first one to stay in the loop and catch up because there’s a third book coming out soon. I know you’ll be excited to take this journey along with Laura, Justin, Darby, Naz, and Mr. Usher.