The Bridge

by Stan Crader

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 a family tragedy. He is terrorized by Clyde Goodpasture, the biggest bully in the sixth grade, and the town of Colby is shaken by the news that its shoe 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.

About the Author
Stan Crader grew up in Bollinger County, Missouri. It wasn't until he spent some time away that he realized what a special place it was. The Bridge is Book One in his Colby series. Books two and three are Paperboy and The Longest Year .

292 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2007

Reviews

[Cindy Watson]

Book Group

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this kind of book, a great combination of history and story. While the main characters are twelve-year-old boys, the book does seem to be aimed at adults. But I think that young adults could really enjoy it as well. The story follows the ordinary adventures of Tommy and his best friend, Booger (Randy), who are determined to earn the money to buy Honda Mini-Trails (mini motorcycles). In order to do so, the set up a lawn mowing business. But at the same time they deal with the same sorts of things that teenagers the world over deal with, bullies, girls, and the loss of a family member. I especially enjoyed the honest approach that Tommy takes, even though he has a tendency to speak first and think later, it's clear that he is a good kid, but a normal twelve-year-old boy (there are some gross jokes). I think what I liked the best though was how well the author creates life in a small town in Missouri in the 1960s. I felt like I was there. For me, historical fiction doesn't work if the setting and feel of the story aren't believable. This book does not have this problem. The book is full of humor, life, and genuineness. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy great historical fiction.

[Gigi Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colby, Missouri, 1967 small town America.

Young Tommy Thompson faces his greatest challenges yet. A coming-of-age story where Tommy begins seeing reality outside of his comfortable ideals. At 12 years old, Tommy has gotten his very first job and fancies himself in love. His dreams are relatively simple and, as only a child can comprehend, his world is distinctly black and white. Good is good and bad is bad. Absolute certainties exist; such as fried bologna eaten with Miracle Whip and ketchup, and Uncle Cletus, the smartest man in the world. Tommy finds his own footing as he tries to be supportive of his best friend, Booger, who must deal with a death in his family.

It's a nostalgic world of early America, where things were simpler and human interaction was church functions and neighborly gossip. Phones were a novelty, the internet wasn't even a thought and ice cream sodas were twenty cents.

Stan Crader has created a delightful journey to a world that has passed us by.

Read the entire review here:
Bookend Chronicles

[Jon Angell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It is a story of Tommy Thompson or more specifically about a special summer Tommy spent in 1967. The story takes on introducing and developing a large cast of characters and places. The pace of the story was at a slow trot but moved steadily through the book. It was a book that I am glad to have read but doubt that I would re-read. There were a lot of hidden references weaved into the story that are hard to describe, maybe a re-read would catch more of them and be of benefit. It was a welcome change of pace. Interesting characters and place.

[TransparentFilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much better coming of age book than most of the award winning books out there. We all enjoyed reading about Tommy & his quest for the Mini Trail.

[billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coming of age book

Amazingly like growing up all over again. Even an old man like myself can become young again reading a story like this.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been an interesting read thus far. The local, familiar feel keeps me reading.