Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

The Thing About Luck

on June 21, 2014

thing about luckby Cynthia Kadohata.

Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her cranky grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers.


24 Responses to “The Thing About Luck”

  1. goatgirl says:

    “Thing About Luck” was a great book and so well written. I felt that I was right there with Summer. I know how it feels to drive a long way like how Summer had to drive from Kansas to Texas. I especially know how it is to be stuck for a long time in a car with your brother!

  2. Mee2016 says:

    This book could’ve been a little more exciting but it was fairly interesting. It tells about the hard work of harvesting that we so much take for granted. Overall this was a very enjoyable book.

  3. swagster 301 says:

    I thought The Thing About Luck was pretty good but it was kind of BORING. It was okay but it would be better if they didn’t just talk to each other the whole time. I think I would like it better if they did more stuff in it.

    It sounds as though you and Batman 505 might be better off with Golden Boy or The Great Trouble. I think Ms. Kadohata provided a lot of meaning for the actions that did take place in the book, but if you are looking for mortal peril a different author might work better for you. — Kate Davie

  4. batman 505 says:

    I thought theThing About Luck was an ok book but it really needed more explanation. I think it needed more explanation because it only told about her life and it needed more action. One thing I liked about the book is her dog.

  5. L says:

    This book is about a girl named Summer and her brother Jazz going on harvest for three or more months and how Summer is having nice time through out the book. However she has a lot of bad luck when it comes to luck. It really isn’t a half bad book I recommend this book for people who like foreshadowing.

  6. Lindsey Lolypop says:

    I thought The Thing About Luck was pretty good, at least some parts were good. There really was no climax to it though. It’s a quiet book. It was an okay book, but I would not recommend this book to people who like books with a big climax.

  7. Big Macaroni says:

    The Thing About Luck was okay, I guess. It got very boring for me and ended with a cliff hanger. If you like more exciting stories, this one is not for you. It has a bit of comedy between Summer, (the main character) Jazz, (her younger brother) and her grandmother, but that’s about it. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.

    Well, some people are more interested in reading slower-paced books than comedy. Have you tried “The Adventures of a South Pole Pig” yet? — Kate Davie

  8. sarah says:

    There was a girl named Summer and she was allergic to mosquitos. Her face was red so she had to go to the hospital. Then Summer and her grandparents go to start harvest. Her parents went to Japan to take care of family, so Summer and her brother stayed with she gram and gramp and they go to Texas to do harvest there. Summer and her brother do not like to ride in the car because they have to travel for hours on end during harvest. I do not like this book because not to much happens.

  9. bob the pie says:

    I thought the book The Thing About Luck was very dramatic. It goes from having to struggle to get friends, to almost messing every thing up at harvest, to giving all of her money away while having a phobia for mosquitoes. It was a very interesting book.

  10. Quadex says:

    The book was quite good, but it was kind of boring because it didn’t have a lot of action. I think the main character was Summer because the book followed about everything that Summer did and it showed how she reacted to everything that happened to her and not anyone else. I guess you could say it was told from her point of view.

  11. countrygirl says:

    The Thing About Luck was okay, but some parts of the book were a little boring. However, the characters had some interesting conflict. One part of the book that was boring, was when the Summer went on and on about how Robbie was so hot and that they never talked and how she wanted to talk to him. Also she went on and on about how she was going on harvest and that her little brother was a loner. I wouldn’t recommend this book to any one.

    I thought that Summer going on and on about Robbie was just realistic; that’s what people with crushes do. Perhaps Flora & Ulysses or Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library would suit you better! — Kate Davie

  12. AQH Kat Horse rider 56 says:

    I read The Thing About Luck, and I did not find it very interesting. One example is Summer the girl in the book did not have a lot of conflict or character traits. Another example is when I read the book it didn’t give much detail. My final example is at the end of the book, it left me hanging. The author didn’t have a very good ending. That is why I didn’t like this book, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!

    Well, no book makes everyone happy! I thought that Summer had to deal with a number of conflicts, including one with the combine, but if that is not the kind of drama for which you are looking, perhaps you should take “L. is a P.”‘s advice! — Kate Davie

  13. lifeisapie says:

    I thought this book was good. If you like books about girls who have mostly bad luck and a big dog, this is a good book for you. It is about a girl named Summer who always seems to have bad luck. When she, her brother and grand parents go on the year’s big harvest she doesn’t know whether her bad luck will finally run out. But, if you like fiction and adventure, I would tell you to try Far, Far Away. (another D.C.F nominee)

  14. Lindsey Lolypop says:

    I recommend The thing about luck because it has interesting parts, and some weird parts, but still interesting.

  15. SGmermaid says:

    I was wondering why Summer had bad luck too. I think maybe she and or her family did something bad but the author didn’t put it in the book. Like maybe they hurt someone badly or maybe Summer lied about something really big. But really I don’t think it has anything to do with your actions just simple conicidence. I noticed that Summer’s grandparents are very superstitious because in one part of the book Summer starts talking about how her family believes that sleeping with your head to the south is good luck and to the north is bad luck. I think luck is really just a coincidence.

  16. SGmermaid says:

    I love the book! I was so surprised when Summer [Spoiler info deleted.] However, when she was missing a trailer I was extremly surprised when Mick [Spoiler info deleted.] I can’t belive he didn’t flip out!!!!! Summer was lucky that time.

    Sorry to mess with your post, SGmermaid, but we want everyone to be able to enjoy all the drama! — Kate Davie

  17. SGmermaid says:

    Yeah srbruins, I predict that Summer will make friends or at lease one friend but I havent gotten to a part where she does. I think that she will because she seemed to be good friends with Robbie but then that other girl came along and it was like Summer didn’t even exist to Robbie! Now I think Summer is almost as desperate as Jaz but Summer is lucky to have mel.:)

  18. Kelsey says:

    This book is great. The author had a great plot and I was always reading it. The book’s plot was good because it went from bad to good and always kept me wondering. She went from having Malaria to saving the Harvest.

  19. SGmermaid says:

    I love the book so far! I made a text-to-self connection about the machines, the grain elevator, and wheat fields. I connected to these things because my grandparents live in Manitoba and they have a wheat field behind their house. They also have a grain elevator as well as combines and other machines that they talked about in the book. In fact I rode in a combine that my grandpa drove. It was literally felt like you were riding 10 different elephants all at the same time! We even had a mini-lesson in school about connection that help you understand the book better. And this was definitely an example of one of those connection. I really understand why Summer thought the combines were magical. 🙂

    That is so utterly cool! I felt that Cynthia Kadohata was MUCH more accurate about her agricultural details than many authors — it’s great to have you validate that! — Kate Davie

  20. Srbruins says:

    doses summer make any friend in the book or is there any animals in the
    book,i like the cover and how the author speaks smooth. i love this book …….

  21. Srdude says:

    I think this book is good .

  22. Srdude says:

    hope that summer has good luck

  23. Srdude says:

    how dose summer get bad luck.

  24. Srdude says:

    Who is the main character in the book.

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