Crunch

Author: Leslie Connor
Age: 10+
Rating: 4/5

What it's about:
Have you ever imagined what it would be like if there were no cars on the road? You could just ride your bike on the street instead of on the sidewalk. Well, one summer, the gas stations run out of gas. That's good and bad news for Dewey's family. Good news because his family owns a small bicycle repair business, and with no cars around people need bikes. It's bad news because Dewey's Dad drives Big Rig trucks for a living, and now he's stuck on the other side of the country with their mom. So Dewey and his siblings are running the business on their own.


Thoughts: This was such an enjoyable read! Dewey is trying to prove how responsible he is by taking care of the family business, and he's doing a great job actually. But he doesn't want to recognize that maybe he's taking too much on. He's only 14 after all, but he's being professional and trying to deliver quality service and great customer service.

What I liked so much about this story is that it is realistic. Dewey is trying to prove that he's responsible and that he can handle the stress of the situation he's in, but it's burning him out. He's got a lot to deal with, the family business which is getting busier and busier, a grumpy younger brother to help him, a proud older sister who doesn't think they should accept any help from anyone, and a twin 5 year old siblings who don't understand why their parents can't come home yet. Then on top of it all he realizes that somebody is stealing from them! Yet, despite all the stress, he's still a 14 year old who likes to ride his bike -fast, and spoil his 5 year old siblings. He tries hard to believe the good in people, and there are plenty of great family moments that made me smile. This was probably one of my favorite Grade 5 picks this year.