The Thing About Luck

Summer Miyamoto and her brother Jaz live with their grandparents while their parents work in Japan. The family works as custom harvesters, traveling through the midwest to help farmers with their wheat crops. Summer, age 12, must step up to help her strict grandmother Obaachan and stoic grandfather Jiichan during harvest season. The grueling work becomes more challenging when Jiichan falls ill, putting their livelihood at risk. As Summer navigates relationships, responsibilities, and her fear of mosquitoes that stems from a bout with malaria, she learns about her family's persistence through hardship. Her connection to the land and understanding of farming deepens throughout the harvest journey. The novel explores ideas of luck, tradition, and the complex bonds between generations in Japanese-American families. Through Summer's experiences, readers gain insight into both modern farming practices and timeless questions about growing up.

Readers describe this middle-grade novel as a quiet, character-driven story that illuminates Japanese-American culture and farming life. Many note its authentic portrayal of intergenerational relationships and the protagonist's personal growth. Readers appreciated: - Details about modern wheat harvesting - Representation of anxiety and OCD in young characters - Complex family dynamics between Summer and her grandparents - Cultural elements woven naturally into the story Common criticisms: - Slow pacing, especially in the first half - Too much technical detail about farming for some young readers - Some found the plot underwhelming Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (80+ ratings) Multiple reviewers mentioned the book works better for patient readers who enjoy slice-of-life stories rather than action-driven plots. One reviewer noted: "The agricultural details might bore some kids, but they create an authentic backdrop for Summer's journey."

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🌾 Author Cynthia Kadohata spent time with real custom harvesters to research the book, even learning to drive a combine harvester herself. 🏆 The Thing About Luck won the 2013 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 2014 Jane Addams Children's Book Award. 🗾 The main character's Japanese-American heritage reflects Kadohata's own background; her father was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. 🌪️ The novel's setting in the Midwest wheat belt accurately portrays the challenging life of custom harvesters, who follow the wheat harvest from Texas to North Dakota each year. 🦗 The cricket imagery throughout the book is based on traditional Japanese beliefs about crickets bringing good fortune, though the main character Summer is initially afraid of them.