Half a Chance

Lucy Emery has a passion for taking pictures, just like her photographer father. Unlike him, the 12-year-old doesn't crave living in new places "the way other people crave staying put." Now he's moved Lucy and her mother from Massachusetts to a lakeside cottage in New Hampshire, and even before the family has settled, he's off again on another assignment. Lonesome and eager to prove her skill with a camera, Lucy enters a photography contest that will be judged by her father. The shots she takes of her new environment eloquently track her most significant events over the summer, which include keeping endangered loons safe from harm, finding a friend in next-door neighbor Nate, and sharing his sadness over his grandmother's slipping memory. Filled with moments of discovery, wonder, and sorrow, Lord's story captures Lucy's artistic sensibility and photographer's eye, as well as her compassion for both animals and people. Through Lucy's thoughts and actions, Lord (Rules) elegantly conveys how complex stories can be told through moments frozen in time. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Mar.)

Gr 4-6--Twelve-year old Lucy and her parents have moved from an apartment in Boston to a lakeside cottage in New Hampshire, and her father, a prominent nature photographer, is immediately off to Arizona for a photo shoot. Her apprehension over fitting in at a new school is temporarily allayed when she is welcomed by Nate, whose family is spending the summer with his grandmother in the house next door. Kayaking, hiking, and loon-monitoring with Nate, Lucy chronicles their experiences using her own budding talent for photography. When she learns that his Grandma Lilah's failing health is keeping her from observing her beloved loon family up close, she and Nate devise a plan to rent a motorized raft to take her out on the lake. Their plan, however, involves a deception-Lucy will use Nate's name to enter a photo contest to be judged by her father. Newbery Honor winner Lord (Rules, Scholastic, 2006) has combined vivid, cinematic description with deft characterization and handles several important issues with sensitivity, nuance, and great skill. Lucy grapples with ambivalent feelings toward her self-centered father, rivalry in the face of new friendships, and an ethical dilemma in her decision to enter the contest and to use, against Nate's will, a photo which captures his grandmother's dementia. Readers will be absorbed in the well-paced plot, sympathize with the concerns of a likable protagonist, learn a bit about photography, and consider the impetus of using one's creative talent for good or ill. A deeply enjoyable read.--Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY