There is bad luck, good luck, and making your own luck--which is exactly what Su
mmer must do to save her family in this winner of the National Book Award by New
bery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata. Summer knows that "kouun "means "good luck" in J
apanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing e
lse 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-fa
shioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, coveri
ng for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brot
her, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss's cute s
on. 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 grand
mother, 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 i
f it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to sav
e her family.
