Nancy from Circulation Services provides today’s review.
Even with gas prices soaring, there still seems to be an abundance if not an outright overload of vehicles on the road, all in a hurry to get to their destination, conduct their business, and hurriedly join the masses in returning from whence they came. Leslie Connor dares to imagine what the world, or at east a quaint New England town and its surroundings, would be like if a true shortage of fuel brought all vehicles to a standstill. Her temporary solution to the fuel crunch is the bicycle.
Crunch is the story of the Mariss family who owned a small farm and bike repair shop known as the Bike Barn that soon became the center of activity for all the local townspeople. One summer, their parents are suddenly stranded due to the gas shortage while off on a week long road trip up the coast. The five children, ranging in age from 5 to 18, are left to keep the family business running and themselves out of trouble. Both seem to be daunting tasks. Fourteen-year-old Dewey takes charge of the Bike Barn with his younger brother Vince, the repair whiz kid. Eighteen-year-old Lil takes charge of the house and tries to help keep the 5-year old twins in line.
With the help of family friends and fellow bike repair shops all seems fine for awhile. When a rash of bike thefts, missing bike parts, and an overload of repairs hit the town and small repair shop, Dewey and family begin to struggle. These worries along with the parental responsibilities begin to take its toll on everyone. Connor reveals the human nature of people in time of a “crunch.” The Marriss children learn valuable lessons about trusting in others and when and how to accept help.
The story holds your attention with the comical antics of the twins, adventures with the strange and crotchety old neighbor, anticipation of the return of the parents, and the relationship between Lil and Dewey as they attempt to be the grown-ups of the family and make their parents proud.
This book would be enjoyed by both today’s readers who live in a time of high gas prices and anyone who is old enough to remember the gas rationing and crunch of the 1970s. It makes you want to go ride a bike!
Check the WRL catalog for Crunch
Or try Crunch as an audiobook on compact disc
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