Book Review of "The Thing about Luck" by Cynthia Kadohata
Bibliography
Kadohata, C. 2013. The thing about luck. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781416918820
Plot Summary
Twelve-year old Summer lives in Kansas and she comes to find out that the summer she is writing about is when her family runs into bad luck. At the beginning of the summer, Summer gets malaria and talks about her complicated relationship with mosquitoes. Summer then describes her family members including her little brother Jaz, her grandmother Obaachan, and her grandfather Jiichan. Her grandparents are custom harvesters and travel from farm to farm to help with wheat harvest. When her parents leave for Japan to help with some relatives Summer is left with her grandparents who must accept an offer from a company called Parker Harvesting Inc. to pay the mortgage. They end up moving to Texas because of the new company and help tend to the fields there. Summer struggles to keep up with her schoolwork and take care of her little brother while also helping cook meals with her grandmother for the workers. As the work progresses Summer experiences her first kiss with Robbie Parker. When the family is sent to Oklahoma to help another farm instead of staying in Texas, this upsets Jiichan and he eventually must step away from work to recover from his exhaustion. Summer must step up and take the place of Jiichan or her family risks losing their pay for the summer. She struggles a lot but has help from other members and is able to finish the job for her family. The family returns to Kansas and Summer realizes how much she grew from this whole experience.
Critical Analysis
Summer, who is our main character, is responsible, determined and kindhearted and shows a lot of growth throughout the book. She is the narrator of the book, and we get to see how her emotions and personality helps her grow as a young adult. We see that her family struggles with making enough money in the story because they mention how they must work to pay the mortgage. Summer, even at 12 years old, is forced to help with the harvesting to help her family. We meet Jaz who is Summer’s younger brother and struggles with making friends but is a very intelligent and curious person. Obaachan who is Summer’s grandmother, wants to see Summer grow into a strong girl and often pushes her which makes Summer upset. We also meet Jiichan who is Summer’s grandfather and is the family’s calming presence in the story. We do see the family interact with other cultures when they must move to Texas and interact with the Parker family and different workers on the farm with a variety of races and backgrounds. The book takes place in the rural Midwest of the United States that includes, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. The story is likely in contemporary time because of the technology that is references as well as the language used and homes. The use of mobile homes is referenced in the book as well as gas stations and fast-food signs. The book has many cultural details like the use of the Japanese language, including Obaachan and Jiichan. We also have traditional Japanese food referenced in the story like rice balls, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and the use of spices like ginger, soy sauce and garlic. We also see how Obaachan values cleanliness and having order when she has Summer bathe regularly and expects her to follow orders. The story also shows the work ethic of the Japanese culture, even the elderly Jiichan works in the field to help pay the bills. Overall, the book shows us how hard work pays off and even if you don’t feel lucky, you are able to change your future if you are willing to work hard for it. Summer shows children that for your life to get better sometimes you must change and put in the work. We see how Summer struggles to fit in but eventually feels happy that she was able to help her family when they needed her.
Review Excerpt(s)
National Book Award Winner, 2013
"Twelve-year-old Summer and her Japanese-American family work every harvest season to earn money to pay their mortgage. But this year, they face unprecedented physical and emotional challenges. It has been a particularly hard-luck year. Among other strange occurrences, Summer was bitten by a stray, diseased mosquito and nearly died of malaria, and her grandmother suffers from sudden intense spinal pain. Now her parents must go to Japan to care for elderly relatives. So Summer, her brother and their grandparents must take on the whole burden of working the harvest and coping with one emergency after another. She writes a journal chronicling the frightening and overwhelming events, including endless facts about the mosquitoes she fears, the harvest process and the farm machinery that must be conquered. As the season progresses, her relationships with her grandparents and her brother change and deepen, reflecting her growing maturity. Her grandparents’ Japanese culture and perspective are treated lovingly and with gentle humor, as are her brother’s eccentricities. Kadohata makes all the right choices in structure and narrative. Summer’s voyage of self-discovery engages readers via her narration, her journal entries and diagrams, and even through her assigned book report of A Separate Peace. Readers who peel back the layers of obsessions and fears will find a character who is determined, compassionate and altogether delightful." ― Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Connections
*I would have students make a graphic organizer comparing the Japanese and American values that were told in the book showing similarities and differences.
*Related books:
-A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
-The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
-It Ain’t so Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
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