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List Price: $21.95 | | Publisher: Wheatmark
Salesrank: 702703
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| Our Price: $0.17 |
| Used Price: $0.17 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
Tommy Thompson recalls with vivid detail the summer of 1967, when he was twelve years old and living in a small town in rural America. At that time in his life, all he wanted was a Honda motorbike, and he believed the smartest person in the world was his Uncle Cletus. The Bridge follows Tommy's summer-long quest for the Honda and his love, Wendy, whom he pursues with the comical romanticism of a young boy.
During the course of the summer Tommy helps his best friend, Booger, cope with family tragedy. He is terrorized by Clyde Goodpasture, the biggest bully in the sixth grade, and the town of Colby is shaken by news that its hat factory will close. While he isn't a religious child, Tommy faces these challenges armed with the few Bible verses that he knows and the support of his Christian family. Tommy has a knack for doing the right thing and ultimately makes a sacrifice that shows without a doubt that his heart is in the right place.
The Bridge Reviews:
Excellent first novel! 
2009-04-13 - Fantastic debut novel! The characters are ones that are easy to relate to and the story line was well crafted. I'm looking forward to the next installment!!
Very enjoyable
2009-04-08 - It is without hesitation that I highly recommend The Bridge by Stan Crader. From the moment I started reading the book, I was transported to Colby,a small town in Missouri and connected to Tommy Thompson who was experiencing all the things a 12 year old boy in the summer of 1967 might experience. The details were many, amazing and somehow familiar, reminding me at times of my own childhood. The book also reinforced in my mind, the importance of providing and allowing outdoor play and work time for my own children in today's computer/TV/DVD/Ipod world. Mr. Crader did an exceptional job of connecting the reader to the characters. I missed them each time I had to put the book down. I laughed and at times cried throughout this very enjoyable book.
Such true-to-life characters!
2009-04-07 - I loved The Bridge and thought that the characters were so incredibly real. In fact, I wish I had had this book when my son was the age of the boys in The Bridge because I think it would have helped me to understand him better. Even though this is fiction, I've got to believe that the author knew boys like these because otherwise, they couldn't possibly be so true-to-life. I recommend The Bridge, especially to mothers of young boys!
Charming, engaging, and very very funny
2009-04-07 - I love this book. Truly. Having grown up in the midwest (in Missouri, in fact) I related to every detail, from hanging out on Dino the Dinosaur at the filling station to playing in the creek, to the hazards of riding the school bus... The observations of the young hero are witty and wise, and his conflicts are spot-on. This is definitely a book to be savored.
The best writing of dialect since Twain!
2008-10-05 - I can't find the review of this book that interested me... I thought it was in the Wall Street Journal, but can't locate it..
What a stroke of luck to find this book! I spent the same era of my life in the '50's living in a small town in Ohio. The differences from 1957 to 1967 seem small... Most notably the Vietnam War and what it contributed to childhood thoughts of boys.
Mr. Crader has written a wonderful story... but his greatest gift to us is the unbelievably accurate dialect he uses. Mark Twain's dialect useage in Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn come to mind. Congratulations Mr. Crader.
He also captures the world of adolesent "boy thought" perfectly. The naivete of Tommy as he tries to understand the mind of an adolescent girl is amusing and accurate. Tommy seems to understand the adults better than the girls! But isn't that normal at that age?
Tommy and his friends are getting to live a 5th grade life that seems
sadly missing anymore. Kids nowdays are too "plugged in" to spend the time outdoors that this book reminds us used to be the NORMAL way for a kid to spend his time. Parents should take away the video games, IPODS, and cellphones and buy their kids a bicycle and turn them loose outdoors! Oh, wait.... this world has changed and those freedoms seem to only exsist in our memories and in wonderful books like this one.
