The Thing About Luck

By Cynthia Kadohata

'Kouun is "good luck" in Japanese, and one year my family had none of it.'

Just when Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan, right before harvest season. But the mortgage has to be paid, and so Summer's grandparents are going to help with harvest instead - taking Summer, her little brother Jaz and their dog Thunder with them.

Obaachan and Jiichan are… well, they're old fashioned, and demanding. Between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her little brother, who can't seem to make any friends, Summer has her hands full. Then one of the boys who Summer has known forever starts paying extra attention to her. But what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own… and once again Summer ends up disappointing Obaachan.

But that's the thing about luck - bad luck can always get worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it and save her family, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Surely kouun is coming soon…?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Jun 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781471116865

Cynthia Kadohata

Cynthia Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Kira-Kira, the National Book Award winner The Thing About Luck, the Jane Addams Peace Award and PEN America Award winner Weedflower, Cracker!, Outside Beauty, A Million Shades of Gray, Half a World Away, Checked, A Place to Belong, Saucy, and several critically acclaimed adult novels, including The Floating World. She lives with her dogs and hockey-playing son in California. Visit her online at CynthiaKadohata.com.

Reviews for The Thing About Luck

[michelleannlib · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful.

[booksforall-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kadohata captures the voice of a young teenage girl well, including her complicated relationships with her grandmother and little brother. At times, the details of harvest may drag on a bit too long for the average reader, but also reflects how a teen who grew up in a harvesting family may view the world. Ultimately this book has a nice message about the value of hard work and a respect for farming labor.

[indigofalcon-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I only read the beginning and I didn't like it.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

children's middlegrade fiction, 12-year-old Japanese girl helping her family (harvest workers); brother poss. high-functioning autistic.
Good character development, diversity/perspective.

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summer is 12 years old when she hits the road with her younger brother (who seems to be autistic, though it's never specified) and her aged grandparents, who are working as wheat harvesters. The harvesting company moves from farm to farm, running the combines and bringing in the wheat, which must be done quickly when the time is right.Summer has difficulty relating to her grandmother, who is bossy, opinionated, and determined to always be right. Her brother is always difficult. On top of that, she's trying to navigate her first crush (on the boss's son), the other harvesters, who aren't all easy to deal with, and her grandfather becoming seriously ill.It is a beautiful coming-of-age story which, in addition to leaving you with all the warm feelings you should have after a superb novel, will also leave you knowing more about wheat harvesting than you ever thought you would know.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mentioned as a possible Newbery winner, and because the author's Kira-Kira is one of my favorite Newbery medal winning books, this was high on the list of those to be read. While not as strong in plot as Kira-Kira, the writing is clear, and the characters are well developed. Life is difficult for Summer's family. It is a year of bad luck that continues to roll along, as heavy and strong as the 30,000 pound combines used to harvest wheat. Typically Summer's mother and father would travel throughout the mid west during harvest time, with father behind the wheel of the massive machine, and mother cooking for all the men who band together with the Parker family who own the equipment. When mother and father are called to Japan to assist family members who are gravely ill, it is Jiichan (grandfather) and Obaachan (grandmother) who must fill perform the harvest duties so the mortgage can be paid. Traveling with Jiichan and Obaachan, Summer assists her grandmother in cooking for the twelve crew men. Her younger brother Jaz and trusty dog Thunder travel from job - job with family members.Slow to praise and quick to disapprove, Obaachan is never ending in her criticism of Summer. When Obaachan's back increasingly becomes more and more painful, Summer quickly learns how to clean and cook for the crew. The 16 hour days prove too much for Jiichan and keeping up with the younger men proves impossible.When the son of the Parker's makes overtures of interest, Summer is smitten. Summer learns a stinging lesson of the pain of classism at the hands of Robert.Added to all other difficult tasks, attempting to understand her severely obsessive compulsive brother is frustrating. It is the relationship with Jaz that shines through in this book, as Summer learns that his unique look at the world isn't wrong, it is simply different in wondrous ways.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As with other books, Kadohata is able to bring some deep thinking to a story aimed at upper elementary students. Who would think that the book A SEPARATE PEACE would be a part of the story. I left wanting to know more about Summer and her Japanese grandparents. Grandma was quite the character. Grandpa and his nightly stories often left me with much to think about. Kadohata is a person who can write for kids but adults can pull deeper meanings when reading. Betsy Bird on her Fuse8 SLJ blog suggests this book has potential for a Newbery Award and I agree.

[lillibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a story that actually grew on me the more I read it. The 12 year old narrator's voice was, perhaps, too realistic for me.

[mad.river.librarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another gem from Cynthia Kadohata. Highly recommended coming-of-age novel. Beautiful cover, exquisite writing, authentic character development, heart-tugger.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. I'm not terribly impressed with this one.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summer's parents and grandparents are wheat harvesters -- during harvest season, they travel across the Midwest with a crew of combine operators. This year, Summer's parents have been called back to Japan for a family emergency, so she and her younger brother Jaz will travel with their grandparents. Harvest time usually means a lot of boredom for children of harvesters, but Summer knows this season will be different. She will be helping Obaachan (Grandmother) prepare the food for the work crew, keeping an eye on Jaz and hopefully helping him figure out how to make a friend along the way, and maybe spending some time with Robbie, a boy just a little older than Summer. But when Jiichan (Grandfather) falls ill at a critical point during a harvesting job, Summer faces more challenges than she had initially expected.This is is one of those books that is so strong in one aspect -- in this case, characterization -- that it makes up for some of the shortcomings elsewhere. Summer, Jaz, and her grandparents are so vividly written, their relationships so pitch-perfect and their dialogue so true, that it makes up for the fact that the plot is pretty slim in this novel. Those looking for a read with a lot of excitement and adventure will not find it here. There's a lot of information about combines and wheat, and I think that some readers will be put off by this (see Moby Dick and the detailed information about whaling for comparison). However, I still think it's one of the strongest children's books I've read this year, and readers with the patience for it will find it an extremely rewarding read.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This middle grade story takes place during the summer when 12-year-old Summer Miyamoto joins her 67-year-old grandmother and grandfather, Obaachan and Jiichan, to work the wheat harvest. Ordinarily it would be her parents who did this job, but they had to go back to Japan for a family emergency. Although her grandparents should be retired, the family needs the money. Jiichan is going to work as a combine driver for the Parker Harvesting work crew, while Obaachan, with the help of Summer, will cook the meals. Summer’s younger brother Jaz, who is probably somewhere on the autism spectrum (although Summer just thinks of him as “intense”), has no job to do. He ends up spending the days playing with LEGOs and wondering if he will ever get a friend.When something happens to Jiichan and he can’t complete the harvesting, Summer is afraid their year of bad luck is far from over.Discussion: This is a quiet story, but has a number of elements that make it memorable. During the break, Summer and Jaz are required to do schoolwork, and Summer is reading the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. The plot follows 16-year-old Gene’s description of one year in his life, and what happened between him and his best friend Finny. Gene’s reflections on his fears, and on coming to terms with who he is, cause Summer to think about her own situation. In addition, Gene does something bad and finally confesses it. Summer does something not nearly as reprehensible, but it too requires that she take responsibility. And when Jiichan can’t finish the harvesting, Summer also has to confront her fears and sense of inadequacy, and do what it takes to make things right.Another theme of the story is the relationship between the kids and their grandparents, and especially between Summer and her grandmother. Obaachan and Jiichan clearly love the kids, but they are older, don’t speak perfect English, and display cultural differences on top of the generational ones. In particular, they seem to have inhibitions against expressing affection. To the reader (or perhaps older reader), it is clear they love each other and the kids, but Summer doesn’t always understand their words and actions in that way. It makes for a very touching and realistic story.Without being didactic, the author shows the cruelty of prejudice by the reactions of Summer. She is sensitive to societal discrimination against Asians, against class, and against kids who are different. She doesn’t act out her anger, however, but responds with tact and protectiveness. She also takes her Obaachan’s lessons to heart about trying to imbue her actions with thoughts love and forgiveness, because according to Obaachan, the results will be evident to all.Evaluation: This is a lovely, compelling story, with humor and heart and many subtle lessons, gently imparted.Note: The book features occasional illustrations by Julia Kuo.Note: This book was the 2013 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature

[cay250 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summer’s Japanese American family doesn't seem to have luck. She has had malaria; her little brother, Jaz, shows symptoms of asperger syndrome is depressed about not having any friends; her parents have to fly to Japan to take care of elderly relatives; and her grandmother (Obaa-chan) and grandfather (Jii-chan) must pay the mortgage by coming out of retirement to work for a custom harvesting company. When the siblings accompany their grandparents on the harvest, Summer helps her grandmother cook for the workers and their employer's family. Soon granpa Jii-chan becomes sick, putting the family's finances in more jeopardy. I really enjoyed this book. It provides a glimpse into the lives of farmers; those who grow and reap the ingredients use to make our food. A good realistic fiction with a strong female character.