Uncategorized 
Comments Off on So. Much. Tired. So. Much. Tired.
Forgive me for missing my last two posts–I went with my oldest to our church’s girls’ camp. True, we were only there from Tuesday to Thursday, but there was a horn-honking train that came through at midnight-ish, 4 am-ish, and 7:30-ish–AND a farmer less than half a basketball court from my cot who was BALING HAY at 1 in the morning. (I don’t recall seeing a hay baler before, by the way. They are MONSTER machines.) Add a homesick crying girl at 2:30 am (not mine) and a not-impressively-comfortable cot (mine, sadly), and not so much with the sleeping.
I’m still trying to recover.
On the other hand, since this is officially the Summer of Trying to Read All the Books in my Room that my Children are Waiting for, I need to review Cynthia Lord’s Half a Chance, which my almost-10-year-old picked out at the library and which I finished last night. (Note–I was thrilled that she picked it, frankly. She tends to zero in on cheesy girl drama books, and Lord is a Newbery-winning author!)
So–first and foremost, yay New England! Half a Chance takes place in New Hampshire, and there are some lovely descriptions. Also, yay loons!, because they figure largely in the plot, and a loon call is a haunting sort of sound that is not easily forgotten. As far as the point of the plot, it felt a little formulaic at first–a coming-of-age story about a girl trying to find her place in a new town while seeking recognition of her talents from her photographer dad. Ultimately, however, this is just as much a book about dementia’s effect on its victim and those around her, and Lord does an excellent job of using the people involved to showcase the importance of talking about what’s happening, instead of allowing it to become the elephant in the room. I liked the ending especially, which didn’t feel formulaic and yet hit all of the most important notes. It’s a quick read (less than 220 pages) that should appeal to wildlife lovers as well as readers looking for female leads, an adjusting-to-change storyline, or boy/girl friendships that don’t stray into unrealistic or inappropriate romance. Let me know what you think!