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    Half a Chance
    Half a Chance
    Half a Chance
    Audiobook4 hours

    Half a Chance

    Written by Cynthia Lord

    Narrated by Maria Cabezas

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A moving new middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES. 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 18, 2014
    ISBN9781490613949
    Half a Chance
    Author

    Cynthia Lord

    Cynthia Lord is the Newbery Honor author of Rules and other middle-grade novels. Her first picture book, Hot Rod Hamster, inspired a bestselling series about a speed-loving hamster that also includes early reader books. Her chapter-book series, Shelter Pet Squad, appeared on the American Booksellers Association’s ABC Best Books for Children list. Cindy lives in Maine with her husband, John Bald, their children, and a collection of beloved animals, including three rabbits (so far!).

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    Reviews for Half a Chance

    4/5

    74 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I like the ending! We learned about dementia. Characters were honest.
    • 5/5
      It is a great book I happened you like it too Cynthia lord is a GREAT auther
    • 2/5
      tween/middlegrade fiction; moving to a new place/making friends/summer on a lake in New Hampshire/learning about photography and a bit about ecology. This was good, but didn't stand out as a Newbery winner. I wish someone had told the kids not to feed the chipmunks anymore (Nate's dad is a science teacher, and I feel he should've known better).
    • 5/5
      Lucy moves around a lot because her father is a famous photographer and he’s always looking for the next assignment. It's the start of summer, and her family has ended up on a lake in New Hampshire. Right before her dad leaves for his latest shoot, Lucy finds out about a photography contest for kids, but her dad is the judge. She knows she shouldn’t enter, but she wants to prove that she can take pictures too. Lucy knows it's hard to make friends, but things look promising when she meets Nate on the dock while she's taking pictures. It turns out Nate is only visiting the lake, like he does every year. When school starts he'll be going back to New Jersey. Still, Lucy and Nate become fast friends. He decides to help her find the perfect picture for each category of the photo contest. They're also recording their observations of the loons on the lake during what they call "loon patrol. Nate's grandmother, Grandma Lilah, loves finding out what's happening with them. At first Lucy was frightened by the call of the loons, but the more she learns about them the more fascinated she becomes. This is a very rough time for Nate, as his grandmother has the beginnings of dementia, so this will probably be her last season on the lake. One day Lucy snaps the perfect picture of Grandma Lilah, which Nate tells her she can't use in the contest. Should she submit it anyway? What will happen when her father finds out? What will the loon teach her? Pick up this book so you don’t miss the fun at the lake!

      I read Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord because I've read other books by her and really enjoyed them. I met Ms. Lord this past November at the UCONN Children's Book Fair and I couldn't wait to read her latest book. I was not disappointed. I've spent time in New Hampshire and I think she captured the setting perfectly. I liked Lucy. I could relate to her concern about Grandma Lilah and her uncertainty with the developing friendship with Nate. I've always found photography interesting, so I loved learning more about that too. I knew a little about loons before reading this book, but now I know much more and think I'd have fun going on "loon patrol." The title ties into the theme of the story because having half a chance is better than having no chance at all. I recommend this book to kids in fourth grade and up who like realistic fiction and stories about friendship. Kids who have known someone with dementia will understand how Nate feels and the struggles his family deals with. This is a great book any time of year, but it's perfect for summer!
    • 5/5
      What I really liked about this children's book is its lack of angst, magic, or bullying, which tend to be thematic in today's children's literature. I believe sometimes children just need to read a in order to experience the story of life. Half a Chance is a simple sweet story about a little girl who has moved around the country with her family quite often; her father has wanderlust and is a famous photographer. She is ready to settle down and just live her life in one spot. When she and her parents move to a little town in New Hampshire, they take up residence at a house on a lake. She meets the boy next door and his family, and she becomes enchanted by the loons on the lake. She enters a photography contest, and the book revolves around her taking photographs, but also forming friendships. It's a true to life story, told beautifully. As a child this is the sort of book I would have gravitated toward. I would highly recommend it to anyone with children 4th grade and up.
    • 4/5
      Lucy and her family move to a house by the lake in New Hampshire. When she gets there she meets the neighbors, who include grandma Lilah and Nate, a boy her same age. Almost immediately after moving in, her father takes on a photo assignment in Arizona that will keep him away most of the summer. Lucy is bummed that her dad is leaving but finds out about a photography contest for kids and decides to secretly enter even though her dad is one of the judges. She wants to impress her dad with her pictures without him knowing that she took them. Lucy and Nate become fast friends and spend the summer by the lake snapping pictures, visiting the coots nest, and exploring the wilderness and wildlife in New Hampshire. A fun summer read for middle grade readers. - SB
    • 4/5
      Lucy and her family have just moved to a New Hampshire Lake. Her dad is a famous photographer and leaves for a job in Arizona for the summer the day after they move. When Lucy finds out he is judging a youth photo contest, she decides to start taking pictures for her entry. She develops a relationship with the family next door, especially with Nate and Grandma Lilah, an aging woman who's memory loss is taking a toll on her and the rest of the family. The group looks out each day for the loons on the lake. The narrative follows Lucy's summer in a new place, her thoughts about photography, and the fortunes of the loon family. It's a sweet story that is a quick read.
    • 4/5
      Lucy moves to a cottage on a small lake in New Hampshire at the beginning of the summer with her mother and father. Her father is a professional photographer and leaves almost immediately for a several week long photo shoot. Lucy's hope of making a friend is realized in next door neighbor Nate as he and his family teach her to kayak, take on Loon Duty and hike up a mountain. Lucy decides to compete in a photo contest her dad is judging at the end of the summer to challenge herself and prove her skill as a photographer to her dad. Nate helps her out as the contest is set up as a scaventer hunt, taking pictures representing different words. As the story progresses, Lucy must decide if using an extraordinary picture that shows Nate's grandma's dementia is right to submit, if she would be using her creative talent for good or just to accomplish her goal. This 218 page story teaches a little about photography as it delves into making the right decisions as you grow up. Great for grades 4-6.
    • 4/5
      This one made me tear up. Maybe it's just the personal connection of the grandmother who knows she's losing her memory and everyone trying to be silent about it. When she can't talk about what she's feeling, that means she's going through it alone.
    • 4/5
      Lucy has moved to New Hampshire with her parents, but immediately her father, a famous photographer, has to leave on a work trip. This book is about how she misses him while she is making new friends, learning about the loons on the lake, and seeing how her new friend Nate has to adjust to his grandmother's worsening Alzheimer's disease. The loons are a particularly nice piece of the story. Lucy enters a photography contest but puts her entry in Nate's name because her father is the judge. She faces a moral dilemma when she decides whether to use a photo of the grandmother that shows her in a particularly lost and fearful moment. Lucy knows it's an amazing photograph, but Nate hates how vulnerable his grandmother looks in it.