It was
unknown to my ten year old son when he picked up this book that I had taken
four years of photography in school and had majored in the subject for three
years in college. Therefore, when the
girl started talking about backgrounds, subjects, lighting and F-stops, it was
easy for me to follow right along with her.
Here’s
the third book in our Mother – Son Book Club!
“I’m
here. Where are you?” ~ “I’m here!”
HALF A CHANCE by Cynthia Lord
2016 Mark Twain Nominee
BOOK
DESCRIPTION
When Lucy's family moves to an old house on a lake, Lucy tries
to see her new home through her camera's lens, as her father has taught her --
he's a famous photographer, away on a shoot. Will her photos ever meet his high
standards? When she discovers that he's judging a photo contest, Lucy decides
to enter anonymously. She wants to find out if her eye for photography is
really special -- or only good enough.
As she seeks out subjects for her photos, Lucy gets to know Nate, the boy next door. But slowly the camera reveals what Nate doesn't want to see: his grandmother's memory is slipping away, and with it much of what he cherishes about his summers on the lake. This summer, Nate will learn about the power of art to show truth. And Lucy will learn how beauty can change lives . . . including her own.
As she seeks out subjects for her photos, Lucy gets to know Nate, the boy next door. But slowly the camera reveals what Nate doesn't want to see: his grandmother's memory is slipping away, and with it much of what he cherishes about his summers on the lake. This summer, Nate will learn about the power of art to show truth. And Lucy will learn how beauty can change lives . . . including her own.
MY REVIEW
2.5 out
of 5 *Stars*
I have
to be completely honest here… I don’t believe there was anything about this
book that will stay with me. It was a
quick and easy read, I’ll give it that, but it lacked the emotion that I like
to feel when being drawn into a new book.
It
centered on a girl, Lucy, who was desperate for more love and attention from
her father. So desperate that she
entered a photography contest that was being judged by him, so he could see how
truly good she was. In turn, he would
find her more fascinating than the things that kept pulling him away across the
world.
Teamed
up with new neighbors that quickly become her friends, she checks off all the topics
for the photography scavenger hunt, each chapter being labeled a certain
category, and ends up learning more about life, sorrow and the ordinary beauty
that surrounds us every day.
“Even in
the midst of horrible things, there are little bits of wonder, and all of its
true.”
By the
end of the book, after Lucy helped a family of loons as well as getting to know
Grandma Lilah and her family, Lucy understood exactly what her father meant
when he spoke those words.
With
this book heavily dipped into the world of photography, you can only imagine
how descriptive the scenes became. As
Lucy positioned her camera for a shot, she took into count the lighting, the
background, the subject, the smell, and the overall feeling the picture brought
forth in people. This book captured all
of that, and made it easily flow. I
never felt like a scene ran on too long to incorporate all of the information.
It was
the plot that had me so unengaged. I know that there was supposed to be a
profound message, and I got the meaning, but I had to dig deep to find it. The story focused so much on the photography
aspect and not enough on the emotion and action behind the camera. It’s no surprise if someone believed that’s
all the book had to offer; shutter speeds and backlighting…
************************* Young Reader Review
***************************
There’s
not too much I have to say about this book.
I had a hard time connecting with it because of how much it talked about
the photography. I didn’t understand why
it had to be like that because it made me lose track of what was going on with
the characters.
However
I did like when they went to go visit the loons. It felt as if I was right
there with them. However, because of
this, the part that I disliked the most ALSO included the loons. I won’t give
anything away, but I will just say that it’s sad.
I’m
not sure that I liked the book too much, but I didn’t hate it either. It was just a book.
Thank
you.
***************************************************************************
Overall,
I just didn’t connect with this story. It was a fast read that was cute and had
great scenic descriptions, but I was constantly asking, “Why was the scene
written, did it even need to be in there?”
I couldn’t help but analyze the book.
It was written in a way where getting lost in the story was nearly
impossible. I would probably direct
someone to a more entertaining read, if asked.
Harsh, but true.
Until
next time…
Happy
Reading, Everyone!
“Goodbye
isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sometimes it’s simply time to go.”
For more on this book and where you can find it, click here.
