Half a Chance

Lucy Emery has a passion for taking pictures, just like her photographer father. Unlike him, the 12-year-old doesn’t crave living in new places “the way other people crave staying put.” Now he’s moved Lucy and her mother from Massachusetts to a lakeside cottage in New Hampshire, and even before the family has settled, he’s off again on another assignment. Lonesome and eager to prove her skill with a camera, Lucy enters a photography contest that will be judged by her father. The shots she takes of her new environment eloquently track her most significant events over the summer, which include keeping endangered loons safe from harm, finding a friend in next-door neighbor Nate, and sharing his sadness over his grandmother’s slipping memory. Filled with moments of discovery, wonder, and sorrow, Lord’s story captures Lucy’s artistic sensibility and photographer’s eye, as well as her compassion for both animals and people. Through Lucy’s thoughts and actions, Lord (Rules) elegantly conveys how complex stories can be told through moments frozen in time. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Mar.)