Half a Chance: 05/13/17

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord is about Lucy's first summer at a lake in New Hampshire. For most people, it's the place to go for the summer but Lucy's family will be year rounders.

While Lucy and her mother are there to unpack and set up the house, her father is in Arizona on a photo shoot. He's a world famous photographer and Lucy desperately wants his approval with her own photography.

Lucy's father is also the judge on a summertime photography contest for teens. It's a scavenger hunt where each entrant has to shoot their interpretation of the given prompts. Lucy decides to enter as there's nothing in the rules that says relatives of the judge can't.

In the background of all of this photography stuff, is Lucy's growing friendship with her neighbors: a pair of kids about her age, their parents, and their grandmother. The grandmother has been a longtime member of the Loon Patrol, checking on the local population and their offspring. This year though her dementia and physical frailty makes going along impossible.

As Lucy learns about loons and learns how to kayak, her photography begins to reflect her changing life. She also finally begins to accept her artwork on her own.

Now back to the father because I have a few bones to pick with him. He has access to professional level equipment, including a variety of lenses, DLR cameras, probably with large sensors for high resolution. There's a lot more that can be done with a camera with exchangeable lenses and manual focus than can be done with a standard point and shoot digital camera — such as what he's given to Lucy.

If he truly wants her to improve her skills beyond what she can do with a point and shoot, low pixel digital camera, he needs to step up and either loan her some of his equipment or give her some of his older equipment that he's upgraded.

Five stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:23:14

Dragonfly

omg this sounds so much like my father!!! LOL always teaching me lessons about hardships by never giving me what I REALLY needed or wanted.

Comment #2: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 13:19:00

Pussreboots

The father, is thankfully a minor character — except for how the main character can hear his advice for every photograph she's taking (with equipment not up to the task). Fortunately the other adults in her life are supportive.