The Thing About Luck
Written by Cynthia Kadohata
Narrated by Joy Osmanski
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Summer knows that kouun means “good luck” in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan—right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills.
The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brother, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss’s cute son. But notice she does, and what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own.
Having thoroughly disappointed her grandmother, Summer figures the bad luck must be finished—but then it gets worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family.
Cynthia Kadohata’s ode to the breadbasket of America has received six starred reviews and won the National Book Award.
Editor's Note
National Book Award winner…
This look at rural living (from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata) won the 2013 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Summer has only bad luck one year when she almost dies of malaria and she has to live with her grandparents while her mom and dad are called back to Japan to take care of other elderly relatives. She holds out hope that her luck will change and chronicles a series of misadventures and misfortunes in her journal.
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.
More audiobooks from Cynthia Kadohata
A Place to Belong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saucy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Million Shades of Gray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Half a World Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Thing About Luck
Related audiobooks
Finding Orion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roll with It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Checked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gilly Hopkins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Land of Forgotten Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5P.S. Be Eleven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paper Wishes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Benefits of Being an Octopus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lalani of the Distant Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy on the Porch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Turtle of Michigan: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Booked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sardines Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bloomability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House That Wasn't There Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rain Reign Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Steal a Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From the Desk of Zoe Washington Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Granny Torrelli Makes Soup Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just My Luck Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rules Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All He Knew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outside Beauty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saving Winslow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Every Single Second Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Castle Corona Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Children's Family For You
Series of Unfortunate Events #4: The Miserable Mill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #6: The Ersatz Elevator Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #3: The Wide Window Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wildwood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #5: The Austere Academy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #1 Multi-Voice, A: The Bad Beginning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coraline: Full Cast Production Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ramona Quimby Audio Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Little Town on the Prairie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Do You Live? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Odd and the Frost Giants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farmer Boy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Girl Who Drank the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coraline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Banks of Plum Creek Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horse and His Boy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Voyage of the Dawn Treader Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Wolf Called Wander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Berenstain Bears' Nature Rescue: An Early Reader Chapter Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Graveyard Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fortunately, the Milk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of My Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wolves in the Walls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The One and Only Bob Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Socks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Off the Page Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Thing About Luck
17 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A very enjoyable book. I felt very connected to the family and their struggles. It reminded me a little of my childhood. The book was very well written.