HALF A CHANCE

HALF A CHANCE by Cynthia Lord

GREEN LIGHT

AGES: 5TH - 8TH GRADE

Looking for a great middle grade summer read? I don't mind telling you that I was captivated by this fantastic chapter book. It is so fun when I end up enjoying a book so much more than I anticipated I would!

Lucy and her parents have just moved to a cabin on a lake in New Hampshire. They settle in before Lucy's dad takes off for his next assignment as a well-known nature photographer. Lucy loves photography as well, but it seems no matter what she does, she can't take a picture good enough to please her father. Entering a photography competition under another name that her father has been roped into judging, she hopes to find out what he really thinks of her ability. With the help of Nate, a boy from the cabin next door who is spending the summer with his grandmother, Lucy begins to capture the types of photographs she only dreamt of before. - photos that show not only an image, but the heart and emotion behind them. By the time the summer comes to an end, there will be memories made that will last a lifetime.

This moving book captures so many emotional topics: the desire of a girl to catch her father's attention, a boy struggling with his grandmother's dementia, and it pairs it alongside the beauty and hardship of nature. I highly recommend this book!

HEADS UP - There is a light amount of romance. Over time, Lucy and Nate grow to like each other. The most that happens is their hands touch at one point.