Half a Chance

Common Sense Media says

Gentle story of girl photographer raises ethical issues.

Age(i)

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What parents need to know

Educational value

Readers will learn about photography, especially how to tell a story in a picture. They'll learn about the importance of preserving wildlife, particularly loons and how to monitor them, and a little about kayaking. They'll also learn about the impact that Alzheimer's disease can have on a family.

 

Positive messages

Pursue what you love to do. Art can be important in your life. Art can reveal the truth.

 

 

 

Positive role models

Lucy wants to find out if her photography is as "special" as she hopes it is, and she's determined to enter a contest with the best pictures she can take. She's persistent in her endeavor and cares about the life of the loons on the lake at her new home. She's able to be a good friend to her new neighbors and to overcome her apprehension to learn a brand-new skill: kayaking.

 

 

 

Violence & scariness

 

 

 

Language

 

 

 

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord, the Newbery Honor author of Rules, tells the story of 12-year-old Lucy, whose family has just moved to a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire in the summer. Lucy must establish new friendships and worries about fitting in when she starts a new school in the fall. The story features an elderly neighbor who demonstrates the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease and some ethical dilemmas for Lucy, who's anxious to gain the approval of her nature-photographer father.

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What's the story?

When Lucy and her family move from the Boston area to a small cottage on a New Hampshire lake, she meets her neighbors Nate and Emily, and together they go on Loon Patrol. Nate helps her scout out perfect pictures for the photography contest Lucy wants to enter to see how good her skills really are. But one day she takes a photo that threatens and angers Nate. Plus she's told him a big lie about the contest.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

The leisurely paced HALF A CHANCE explores thorny topics while telling a contemporary story with realistic characters. And it raises some intriguing ethical issues: Is it dishonest to enter a contest for which your father is the judge? Is it right to submit work that may make a private family issue public? Also, to what lengths do you go to win praise from a parent? 

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about dementia. How could you help an aging relative or neighbor who's struggling with dementia?

  • Take several photographs and see if you can arrange them so they tell a compelling story.

  • Find out about which wild animals are in your area, why they may be important, what threatens them, and how you can help protect their lives.

Book details

Author:Cynthia Lord
Genre:Coming of Age
Topics:Arts and dance, Friendship, Great girl role models, Science and nature, Wild animals
Book type:Fiction
Publisher:Scholastic Press
Publication date:February 20, 2014
Number of pages:218
Publisher's recommended age(s):8 - 12
Read aloud:7 - 8
Read alone:8 - 12
Available on:Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle, Nook

This review of Half a Chance was written by

Joanna H. Kraus

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Kid, 11 years old May 18, 2014
AGE
9
QUALITY
 

No!

I thought this book was just fine because it had NO action and it was so detailed. Too detailed. It was a class read aloud and my classmates are not into the story as much as we thought we would. I think it has some sad and hard parts that an advanced reader could figure out that's why I think 9 up. It makes you think and it includes many things kids won't know. I gave it 3 stars because I think the strong message and meaning is amazing.
What other families should know
Great messages
Great role models
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