Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Crunch by Leslie Connor

genre: middle grade

What if gasoline ran out? I mean RAN OUT? As in, you are stuck where ever your last tank took you? This is what happened to Dew's parents, and suddenly he and his siblings are on their own for the foreseeable future in a world where cars can no longer take you where you need to go.

Luckily, they are a resourceful bunch - and Dew and his brother happen to have a knack for fixing bikes. In a world where cars are useless, bikes very quickly become a hot commodity. Between keeping the house running with his older sister and staying on top of a bike repair business that begins to boom, Dew stays plenty busy as they wait for their parents to somehow make their way back home.

This was a smart story that I really enjoyed. Dew is a hard working but imperfect character who learns a lot through the course of the summer. I loved the incredibly probable future and how people have to handle the complete upheaval that can result when just one small resource runs dry. While it is absolutely a feel good story, there are some tense moments and Dew has to deal with some frustration. I fell for the whole thing, a great read.

2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

This sounds good. I like the idea of kids imagining a world without gasoline.

Melissa said...

SO glad you liked it. It's a great bit of storytelling. And now, I should read her other one, Waiting for Normal. I really like her as a writer.

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