Crunch

by Leslie Connor Narrated by Ramón De Ocampo

Overview

ALA Schneider Family Book Award winner Leslie Connor infuses her timely family stories with humor and hope. Fourteen-year-old Dewy Marriss never imagined America's gas pumps would dry up the same week he promised to manage his family's bicycle shop. Suddenly everyone wants a bike, and nobody wants to wait. With his parents stranded far from home, Dewey tries to keep up with his overwhelming responsibilities. "Characters are colorful but believable, dialogue crisp and amusing . Charming and original."-Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 5–8—Mom and Dad take an annual anniversary drive up the New England coast for a week, and this year, they let 18-year-old Lil and 14-year-old Dewey hold down the fort while they're gone. In an all-too-plausible scenario, though, the national fuel shortage hits crunch level, and there is no gasoline to be had. For the first several days that their parents are stranded near the Canadian border, nobody panics: the older kids get the five-year-old twins to summer camp each day, and Dewey and his younger brother, Vince, keep their dad's bicycle-repair shop running smoothly. But when cars can't run, the townspeople rely on bikes, and as days turn into weeks, Dewey is overwhelmed with the number of repairs coming in and with the parental responsibilities that he and Lil are sharing. And when parts start disappearing and it becomes evident that a petty thief is on the loose, things get even more complicated. Not wanting to worry their parents or admit that they are in over their heads, Dewey and Lil initially resist efforts by neighbors to help. It is only when things reach the breaking point that they both come to realize that there is no shame in trusting in others. While Connor has created a cast of quirky characters and a timely dilemma, she never fully engages readers the way she did in Waiting for Normal (HarperCollins, 2008). Even with Dewey's first-person narration, relationships come across as a little too good to be true, and the story never quite loses a subtle hint of didacticism.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

DECEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

When the gasoline pumps run dry, 14-year-old Dewey and his two brothers and two sisters are on their own until their parents can make their way home from their vacation in New England. It’s up to Dewey and his older sister, Lil, to take care of the younger kids in the family. Soon the whole community is faced with a new set of challenges from the lack of gas. Ramon de Ocampo provides Dewey with a calm tone and a deep, mature voice that fit his position as the oldest boy in the family. The voices of the female characters are not as smooth, but de Ocampo completely makes credible the 5-year-old twins, Angus and Eva. Surprises ensue in the family and the town as everyone waits for things to return to normal. E.N. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

Readers are thrust immediately into the trials and tribulations of 14-year-old Dewey Mariss and his family. His parents are away from home, unable to return because of a gasoline shortage. Running their small family business, the Bike Barn, with his younger brother and helping older sister Lil look after the five-year-old twins keeps Dewey plenty busy, especially since the shortage means that more people are depending on their bicycles. Throw in a sneaky thief, a cranky neighbor, some miscellaneous farm animals and a few minor adventures, and there's plenty to fill the 300-plus pages. Connor keeps things moving merrily along, however, and readers will enjoy going along for the (brisk) ride. Characters are colorful but believable, dialogue crisp and amusing. The New England setting is attractively realized, and the underlying energy crisis treated seriously but not sensationally. Perhaps things wrap up a mite too tidily, but Dewey deserves a break, and the whole family is so engaging that anything less than the happy ending would be disappointing indeed. Charming and original. (Fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169642780
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/18/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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