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Over and Under
In the summer of 1979, Andy and Tom are two fourteen-year-old boys---best friends, expert cave explorers, and crack shots with their Springfield M-6 Scout rifles. In rural southern Indiana they are blissfully unaware of the local labor strife surrounding the Borden Casket Company. The fact that Andy’s dad is a manager and Tom’s dad is a union laborer has no bearing on their fun and adventure.
But in the building summer heat, violence quickly erupts---including an explosion, a murder, and the escape of two fugitives---and the young boys can no longer ignore that the world around them has forever changed. Through their secret observations of labor meetings, both boys feel the effect of the dissolution, and it tests their loyalty and friendship, as well as the town's spirit.
What began as a season of independence becomes a summer of growth and change, of adventure and misbehavior. Reminiscent of Stand by Me and To Kill a Mockingbird, Over and Under is the quintessential story of ruddy-faced, scheming, precocious boys who must navigate that hazy boundary between growing up and making the most of their last summer of innocence and freedom as they explore the wilds of rural Indiana, see the most amazing gunshot of their lives, and discover what it means to be friends.
But in the building summer heat, violence quickly erupts---including an explosion, a murder, and the escape of two fugitives---and the young boys can no longer ignore that the world around them has forever changed. Through their secret observations of labor meetings, both boys feel the effect of the dissolution, and it tests their loyalty and friendship, as well as the town's spirit.
What began as a season of independence becomes a summer of growth and change, of adventure and misbehavior. Reminiscent of Stand by Me and To Kill a Mockingbird, Over and Under is the quintessential story of ruddy-faced, scheming, precocious boys who must navigate that hazy boundary between growing up and making the most of their last summer of innocence and freedom as they explore the wilds of rural Indiana, see the most amazing gunshot of their lives, and discover what it means to be friends.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 8, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
July 5, 2012
I was eight years old when Mack Sanders lost a nut in the mill room of the Borden Casket Company.
Yep. That's the first line of the book, and just the first of many cringe-worthy moments in this tale of two young Indiana boys who do a lot of growing up during the summer of 1979. These kids do loads of things that made me squirm and wince. They slither through storm drains, squeeze into tiny crevices in caves, tangle with fat, drunken rednecks, and have close encounters with copperheads.
Eh, boys will be boys I guess, but these two make me glad my own kids prefer the indoors.
And yes, the author does go into great detail about how the previously mentioned nut is lost.
They say there wasn't a place in the plant where you couldn't hear the screaming.
Yikes!
The workers of the casket company have gone on strike (over a 30 cent an hour raise, not the nut thing.) And for the first time, Andy realizes there is a big difference between labor and management.
His dad is a supervisor. His best friend Tom's dad works on the line.
Before the strike, I thought everybody in the factory had some unique and equally important individual skill, like the Superfriends or the members of KISS.
Tempers flare, the rift grows wider between those on the picket line and the men still inside the factory. Soon there is bloodshed, and the boys are unsure which adults they can trust, or if they can even trust each other.
While there's nothing extraordinary about this book, it was entertaining in a The Hardy Boys meet Stand by Me The Body kind of way. Plus bonus points are awarded for the fact that Andy and his parents play a nightly game of Authors, a game I loved as a kid!
Yep. That's the first line of the book, and just the first of many cringe-worthy moments in this tale of two young Indiana boys who do a lot of growing up during the summer of 1979. These kids do loads of things that made me squirm and wince. They slither through storm drains, squeeze into tiny crevices in caves, tangle with fat, drunken rednecks, and have close encounters with copperheads.
Eh, boys will be boys I guess, but these two make me glad my own kids prefer the indoors.
And yes, the author does go into great detail about how the previously mentioned nut is lost.
They say there wasn't a place in the plant where you couldn't hear the screaming.
Yikes!
The workers of the casket company have gone on strike (over a 30 cent an hour raise, not the nut thing.) And for the first time, Andy realizes there is a big difference between labor and management.
His dad is a supervisor. His best friend Tom's dad works on the line.
Before the strike, I thought everybody in the factory had some unique and equally important individual skill, like the Superfriends or the members of KISS.
Tempers flare, the rift grows wider between those on the picket line and the men still inside the factory. Soon there is bloodshed, and the boys are unsure which adults they can trust, or if they can even trust each other.
While there's nothing extraordinary about this book, it was entertaining in a The Hardy Boys meet Stand by Me The Body kind of way. Plus bonus points are awarded for the fact that Andy and his parents play a nightly game of Authors, a game I loved as a kid!
April 23, 2009
I really liked this book - two 8th grade boys in southern Indiana experiencing a labor strike at the local casket company, and in true Shakespearean fashion, one kid's dad is management and the other's is union.
The two boys are typical 70s boys in a rural area - fending for themselves most of the time and embarking on lots of adventures at all times of the day. One kid is particularly reckless, and instigates the middle of the night goofing off stunts. They do a lot of caving, getting stuck in tight quarters, but always coming out OK.
However, there are some flaws. The level of writing is definitely high - both vocabulary and thematic elements. Unfortunately, it probably doesn't have enough immediate action to grab a reluctant reader; if they stuck with it, they would end up with a good tale, but I don't think they would stick with it.
The narrator goes back and forth between telling the story (in past tense), and reminiscing about the time and the lessons he learned. One thing I did not like was the seeming acceptance of lying about a huge thing, as if the circumstance offered some moral code that must be kept and the truth could not be told, even though telling might have saved a lot of injury and pain. I didn't get that, but maybe that's because I am female and have never navigated the male world.
I did appreciate the revelation that domestic violence is everywhere and how women and children need protection and safe haven. That was sort of a sub-plot, as the boys' eyes are opened to the darkside of the adult world.
I don't know if a HS senior would pick this up if he knew it was about two 8th grade boys, even though the novel would be at his level. And it's definitely a boy book - no chick lit here!
The two boys are typical 70s boys in a rural area - fending for themselves most of the time and embarking on lots of adventures at all times of the day. One kid is particularly reckless, and instigates the middle of the night goofing off stunts. They do a lot of caving, getting stuck in tight quarters, but always coming out OK.
However, there are some flaws. The level of writing is definitely high - both vocabulary and thematic elements. Unfortunately, it probably doesn't have enough immediate action to grab a reluctant reader; if they stuck with it, they would end up with a good tale, but I don't think they would stick with it.
The narrator goes back and forth between telling the story (in past tense), and reminiscing about the time and the lessons he learned. One thing I did not like was the seeming acceptance of lying about a huge thing, as if the circumstance offered some moral code that must be kept and the truth could not be told, even though telling might have saved a lot of injury and pain. I didn't get that, but maybe that's because I am female and have never navigated the male world.
I did appreciate the revelation that domestic violence is everywhere and how women and children need protection and safe haven. That was sort of a sub-plot, as the boys' eyes are opened to the darkside of the adult world.
I don't know if a HS senior would pick this up if he knew it was about two 8th grade boys, even though the novel would be at his level. And it's definitely a boy book - no chick lit here!
September 15, 2018
Based around two teenage boys in a rural Indiana town in the 1970's spending their last summer of innocence running through the woods, shooting their guns, scraping knees and exploring caves while trying hard to stay out of trouble. Their father's are on opposite sides of a Labor Strike at their company and the story escalates when an explosion and murder take place. The boys friendship is tested to the limit and their lives will never be the same.
Comparable to "Stand By Me."
Comparable to "Stand By Me."
January 12, 2018
I was on edge for a lot of this story; many a tense moment. I was caught up with the boys adventurous spirits and was running through the woods along side them. The author tackles life's curveballs in employment \unemployment, sides taken, family, and most of all, friendship. Some coarse language,fyi.
October 31, 2021
This book was a little more violent than I’d like, and far too mush cussing. What I liked was the friendship between Andy and Todd, a younger redneck version of Gene and Phineas from A Separate Peace. The book also had a good bit of history of the region.
April 19, 2025
Unassuming story of boys’ adventures, centering around a labor strike. One’s father is management and his best friend’s is union.
March 18, 2021
Andrew Jackson Gray tells of his growing up in the 1970s in small town Borden, Indiana, of his friendship with Thomas Jefferson Kruer, and of the strike at the Borden Casket Company that occurred the year during the boys' thirteenth year.
Twelve year old Andy and Tom are best friends, they spend all their spare time together playing, fishing and generally being adventurous and mischievous in the woods that surround Borden. One of the highlights of their year is the gift they each receive of a Springfield M-6 Scout rifle from their respective fathers, a gift which opens up new adventures for them and enables them to hone the already very good shooting abilities.
However their fathers both work for the Borden Casket Company, Tom's on the shop floor, Andy's as management, yet the strike at the company that year does not affect their friendship, and their parents would not even imagine suggesting any such thing to them. As the boys do their best to understand what is going on, their inquisitiveness gets them more involved in the dispute than is good for them, tests their loyalties to the limits, and ultimately puts them in serious danger.
Over and Under is an involving and warm story of friendship and loyalty. It extends beyond the friendship of the two boys touching on how the friendships of others are also affected. It is also about Borden and the countryside around the small town, the author's interest in history apparent in the intertwining of factual references within the story. But the heart of the story is Andy and Tom's friendship, and it is portrayed as one that is trusting, loyal and based on a thorough understanding of each other.
The characters are well drawn, and the locality beautifully described. Andy's father is methodical and caring, clearly proud of his son; his mother is involved in feminist activities and mysteriously involved with the local sheriff in matters that will eventually come to light. If I have a reservation it is that it took a long time for Tom to emerge as a fully fledged character, and even then I felt he was never quite fully developed.
However this is a beautiful story, and being told in retrospect it has the advantage that it closes with the brief details of what eventually happens to the two boys as they live on into adulthood.
Twelve year old Andy and Tom are best friends, they spend all their spare time together playing, fishing and generally being adventurous and mischievous in the woods that surround Borden. One of the highlights of their year is the gift they each receive of a Springfield M-6 Scout rifle from their respective fathers, a gift which opens up new adventures for them and enables them to hone the already very good shooting abilities.
However their fathers both work for the Borden Casket Company, Tom's on the shop floor, Andy's as management, yet the strike at the company that year does not affect their friendship, and their parents would not even imagine suggesting any such thing to them. As the boys do their best to understand what is going on, their inquisitiveness gets them more involved in the dispute than is good for them, tests their loyalties to the limits, and ultimately puts them in serious danger.
Over and Under is an involving and warm story of friendship and loyalty. It extends beyond the friendship of the two boys touching on how the friendships of others are also affected. It is also about Borden and the countryside around the small town, the author's interest in history apparent in the intertwining of factual references within the story. But the heart of the story is Andy and Tom's friendship, and it is portrayed as one that is trusting, loyal and based on a thorough understanding of each other.
The characters are well drawn, and the locality beautifully described. Andy's father is methodical and caring, clearly proud of his son; his mother is involved in feminist activities and mysteriously involved with the local sheriff in matters that will eventually come to light. If I have a reservation it is that it took a long time for Tom to emerge as a fully fledged character, and even then I felt he was never quite fully developed.
However this is a beautiful story, and being told in retrospect it has the advantage that it closes with the brief details of what eventually happens to the two boys as they live on into adulthood.
February 19, 2017
Not a bad story, but clumsily written.
November 19, 2015
As I started reading this and until about halfway through, I thought it was better suited to a young boy to read, and it would be ideal reading for young boys. Toward the last part of the book I was getting more anxious to find out what was going to happen and that kept the pages turning.
“There comes a time in every boy’s life where his capacity for getting into trouble suddenly exceeds his ability to get out of it.”
In Over and Under we follow Andy and his best friend Tom as they wander off on adventures one summer. They go hunting, fishing and crawl through some of the caves Indiana is famous for. Soon they are sneaking out at night. Workers of The Borden Casket Company, where both their fathers are employed is on strike. Tom and Andy don't understand much about the strike at first but as they witness the comings and goings at the factory, they start to understand.
This is an excellent book for learning about strikes. It's action packed and set in about 1979. I liked the characters. Tom is the leader. He has good ideas and is very curious and Andy seems to enjoy the things they do at first. They are really, really good friends but there comes a point in the story where that friendship will be tested.
I also liked the little bit of suspense in wondering where Andy's mother was going at the drop of a hat when the Sheriff would call. The ending of the book had me wonder, as books sometimes do, how much of this was autobiographical. It's so refreshing to read about children that have lived such adventurous lives before real life comes along and they must go to work. Enjoyable!
“There comes a time in every boy’s life where his capacity for getting into trouble suddenly exceeds his ability to get out of it.”
In Over and Under we follow Andy and his best friend Tom as they wander off on adventures one summer. They go hunting, fishing and crawl through some of the caves Indiana is famous for. Soon they are sneaking out at night. Workers of The Borden Casket Company, where both their fathers are employed is on strike. Tom and Andy don't understand much about the strike at first but as they witness the comings and goings at the factory, they start to understand.
This is an excellent book for learning about strikes. It's action packed and set in about 1979. I liked the characters. Tom is the leader. He has good ideas and is very curious and Andy seems to enjoy the things they do at first. They are really, really good friends but there comes a point in the story where that friendship will be tested.
I also liked the little bit of suspense in wondering where Andy's mother was going at the drop of a hat when the Sheriff would call. The ending of the book had me wonder, as books sometimes do, how much of this was autobiographical. It's so refreshing to read about children that have lived such adventurous lives before real life comes along and they must go to work. Enjoyable!
February 12, 2016
Fourteen year old best friends Andy and Tom have known each other all of their lives growing up in the small town of Borden, Indiana. It is the 1970's and the two boys roam the countryside exploring woods and caves and always carrying their beloved Springfield M6 Scout rifles, known as an "over and under". Their fathers work at the local casket company, Andy's father in management and Tom's dad in the plant itself. The union workers have gone on strike causing widespread discord in Borden but making for the most exciting summer Andy and Tom could ever imagine. The quiet of the Indiana afternoon is shattered one day when an explosion blows out the back of the casket company and the two boys, who are not supposed to be anywhere near the strikers, see two men running away from the blast into the woods. When it is found that a casket company executive was inside the plant and was killed during the explosion the seriousness of the strike takes on new dimensions. Tom and Andy decide to spend their time searching for "the bombers" but what they find instead is a town that is ready to rip apart at the seams due fear and suspicion and the two boys will lose their boyish innocence during the sweltering heat of summer.
The two boys are very likeable and they have quite inventive and adventurous minds. The story was not quite what I had expected though. I had thought it was going to be a mystery but there was never any question as to who the culprits were; it was more a question of who would find them first - the boys or the police. Fortunately it was fairly short and quick to read.
The two boys are very likeable and they have quite inventive and adventurous minds. The story was not quite what I had expected though. I had thought it was going to be a mystery but there was never any question as to who the culprits were; it was more a question of who would find them first - the boys or the police. Fortunately it was fairly short and quick to read.
December 20, 2016
This is a fun book. It is set in the late seventies, an era in which I was in college, so I remember the moods of the time. The story is entertaining and the characters fit quite neatly into categories of "I like that one," or "I don't like that one," and are deep enough to be believable. It is the story of two boys growing up together and dealing with life's events as they come of age, together and as individuals. The prose is very pleasant and easy to read.
January 23, 2016
Over and Under took a bit for me to get into but hit its stride about a quarter of a way into the book. The book takes place in rural Indiana in the summer of 1979 and focuses on two best friends, Andy and Tom. During this summer the boys' fathers are on opposing sides of a labor dispute at their employer, Borden Casket Company. Andy's father is in management and continues to work through the strike while Tom's father is in manufacturing and is on the picket line. Although their father's have differing opinions they don't let that interfere with their son's friendship and the boys continue to monitor the happenings at the casket company. When the strike becomes more volatile each boy must come to terms with his own thoughts on the recent events. I enjoyed the story but was hoping for a bit more action and adventure. Although, the book was well written I was expecting a bigger reveal at the ending and was hoping for more information on the events surrounding the strike.
September 2, 2008
1979. Two boys in an isolated Indiana factory town spend their last summer before high school and two divergent futures learning about class and conflict among grown men. Todd Tucker is at his best when his protagonists absorb a new piece of information that advances their understanding of complex adult relationships. Unfortunately, in Over and Under he also gives short shrift to some steps of the plot, rushing through them so he can move his actors to the next set piece. Sometimes this requires a character to become temporarily psychic to skip some exposition, or idiotic enough to put his or herself in obvious danger and need rescue. All in all, a good quick read that would have been better served with a hundred more pages of consistent characterization.
Look for one mother’s revelation, the secret of the activities she keeps hidden from her husband.
Look for one mother’s revelation, the secret of the activities she keeps hidden from her husband.
February 28, 2010
Two best friends, both fourteen years old, enjoy running through the woods and exploring local caves, and shooting their Scout rifles. Andy's father is the manager of Borden Casket Company and Tom's father is a union worker on strike yet they continue their strong friendship even as they learn the differences in their families respective roles in the strike.
One night when Tom and Andy sneak out of their houses to eavesdrop on the strikers, they witness a bomb explosion that murders the company's owner. The subsequent chaos among the the workers turns out to be a test of loyalty between the two. They begin spending their time in search of the fugitives while trying to stay out of trouble.
This book is great for teens who want to read about outdoor adventures and loyal friendships. Other similar books would be Stand By Me, or even To Kill a Mockingbird.
One night when Tom and Andy sneak out of their houses to eavesdrop on the strikers, they witness a bomb explosion that murders the company's owner. The subsequent chaos among the the workers turns out to be a test of loyalty between the two. They begin spending their time in search of the fugitives while trying to stay out of trouble.
This book is great for teens who want to read about outdoor adventures and loyal friendships. Other similar books would be Stand By Me, or even To Kill a Mockingbird.
December 17, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age story about two 14 yr old boys, who, although inseparable in their outdoor adventures, find their belief systems challenged when a strike cripples their small town. Andy's dad is a manager at the Borden Casket Company while Tom's dad is a union member. When the factory is blown up and the plant manager is killed, the mood of the town becomes extremely tense. As the summer progresses and Andy & Tom's nocturnal adventures continue, secrets are piling up and Andy feels conflicted about where his loyalties lie. From the first sentence of the prologue, this book grabbed me and wouldn't let go. To say more would spoil the reading of this thought-provoking, engaging novel.
April 5, 2013
I loved this historical novel set in 1979 for its realistic yet affectionate depiction of southern Indiana, for its enjoyable and even funny depiction of boyhood friendships that last forever, and for its bittersweet depiction of first loves. I am not much of a fan of shooting as a hobby, but I loved that the two boys in this book both receive rifles for Christmas after successfully completing several weeks of a gun safety course in which they impress the pants off their city slicker classmates with their shooting skills. I also loved roaming the woods and caves around their small town with them. I received a copy of this book from the publisher (thanks!) and will be donating it to the YA collection of my public library. I can think of several teens I would like to suggest it to.
November 3, 2009
Over and Under was well written, it flowed well, the characters were realistic, the problem I had with this book was that.. well.. it was just boring. Tucker tried to spice it up with a bit of a mystery, but the fact remains that this is, ultimately, a book about boys being boys, a union strike and all of the crimes associated with it, and a mingling of the politics from the early 70's. Interesting stuff in its own right (I mean, the first I knew of a strike was from watching Newsies as a kid and I must have watched that movie over 50 times... then again, maybe it was just for Christian Bale).
It is well-written though, and it definitely is a book to read if you enjoy the coming of age type stories. It just wasn't all that interesting to me.
It is well-written though, and it definitely is a book to read if you enjoy the coming of age type stories. It just wasn't all that interesting to me.
January 15, 2009
In 1979, two boys whose fathers both work for the Borden Casket Company, one in management, one not, try to find two men hiding in the woods during a bitterly contested strike.
That really doesn't cover it at all, but is a good capsule of the plot. What makes the story work is the writing and the characters. I enjoyed the two boys - Tom and Andy - immensely, and their adventures in the woods took me back to summers playing with my friends. Reminiscent of Stephen King's "The Body", the codes of friendship and loyalty are woven throughout this coming of age tale and story of a town divided.
That really doesn't cover it at all, but is a good capsule of the plot. What makes the story work is the writing and the characters. I enjoyed the two boys - Tom and Andy - immensely, and their adventures in the woods took me back to summers playing with my friends. Reminiscent of Stephen King's "The Body", the codes of friendship and loyalty are woven throughout this coming of age tale and story of a town divided.
August 7, 2010
The story is about two young boys (best friends) living through their last years of innocence. One of the boys father is management at the local casket plant while the other’s dad is a union laborer. Unrest breaks out and, at first, the boys don’t really understand the difference between management and the union laborers – until the strike both dads were friendly with each other. Someone blows up a portion of the plan killing the managing owner and, because the plant isn’t as profitable as it once was, the remaining family (owners) would like to sell the plant or close it down. Although changed, the boy’s friendship ends up lasting for many years.
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October 3, 2011This book was really interesting and suspenseful which was not what i thought at first. Compared to other books that i have read, it could've been better, but for the most part it was a lot better than i thought. Andy and Tom's friendship has really developed since their involvement in the solving of the murder has brought about some trouble between them as well as harships that they overcome throughout the book. It is different to see Tom and Andy develop into the young men they need to be because they finally realize that they needed to grow up for the benefit of themselves and their dads. I would recommend this book if you like suspense with a country setting.
December 27, 2011
I picked up this book from a library sale because a friend encouraged me to read some regular novels with no "historical" label attached to them. It was very difficult to do and I found myself quite angry through the first couple of chapters as I just didn't care what happened to the characters. The writing was good, though, and I became engrossed in the characters. There wasn't a great deal of depth to it, and the end, like post-climax flew by very quickly - almost as if the author had a deadline to hit or something, but overall, not a bad book. It reminded me a bit of A Separate Peace - coming of age with two newly adolescent boys, tragic happenings, how they come out on the other end.
October 4, 2012
This book is called Over and Under by Todd Tucker. This book makes you want to read more. When you put it down it is always leaving you hanging make you want to know what is next. The main characters are Andy and Tom they can shoot anything with an M-6 rifle that there dad taught them how to use. One day they saw a guy trespassing on there property so they shot him in the head directly in the skull. It turns out that the guy was the dad of the neighbors plantation. They compete a lot to see who can get more money and the next day when they found out they... I told this book will leave you hanging it is a historical fiction book that can not be put down you might want to try it.
August 17, 2015
Can't say I'm big on five-star reviews, but here's the first of three on books I read this month. This was just a great story about the summer of two boys on the verge of high school in 1979 small-town southern Indiana. There's a factory strike, and one boy's dad is ownership, and the other's is not. That story basically provides the narrative thread, but the book excels at describing the small moments that make teenage summers so impactful and memorable. Somebody just accused me of being a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and he's absolutely right. That's what I suppose all three of books I've loved in the last month have in common.
August 20, 2025
“Over and Under” was full of over and underwhelming moments (haha get it). Three long months - I went from knowing the characters to forgetting them over winter break and being so unbothered to revisit the book before and after Tet. I really like the character development of the protagonists, who are so stereotypical in terms of being Caucasian teenage boys just living their lives to the fullest. Would I pick up a similar novel in the near future? Probably not. Did I enjoy the vibes of all the late nights spent in the woods and spooky caves? Very much so.
July 3, 2009
I have had very good luck selecting books from the American Library Association's Alex Awards list (adult books of interest to teens). As a teacher I found Over and Under an insightful look into the minds of the boys near the age of my students. How the two boys managed a friendship is spite of personal differences, family conflict, and tension in thier hometown due to a strike was also fascinating.
August 24, 2009
This novel certainly deserved to be an Alex award title. Two boys share adventures in a small town in 1979 the summer before beginning high school. During a strike at the coffin manufacturing firm, they learn that their fathers are on opposite sides of the picket line. The story of the strike and a search for two wanted men in the woods provide great background for a story of youthful friendship and loyalty.
February 11, 2010
The opening scene of a young man "losing his nut" while using woodworking machinery at a casket company made it obvious that I can read ANYTHING! This is the story of two boys during the summer between middle school and high school in the 1970s. The town is having a labor dispute and a bomb goes off at the factory. Solving the mystery is almost as entertaining as the adventures the boys have in the Indiana countryside. I loved this book!
July 26, 2011
This would be a good boo for teen boys to read. it follows the adventures of two friends during one summer in late 1970s. The main employer in the town is the coffin manufacturing plant, and the workers have gone on strike. Tom's dad is a member of the labor union while Andy's dad is part of the plant management. Throw in an explosion at the plant and some guns, and boys shhould be engrossed in the story. This write-up is brief because I read it for me even though it is an Alex book.
February 15, 2012
I felt this book was more about an idea/issue that was thinly fleshed out with a story. It was readable, though, and I liked the premise a lot. I liked the characters well enough, though they didn't feel real to me. I got a little tired of how unrealistic parts of the story were: the extreme danger these boys managed to get into and the fact that they always got out of it and didn't get caught.
April 23, 2012
Our book club read this and it is the first full book I've read on my new "Nook" so it was memorable on many levels. I enjoyed the story. We all agreed that the critical comparison to To Kill a Mockingbird was over stated, but it is still a good read and it certainly got the men in our book club engaged in the discussion. We need more books about boys coming of age! We age "labor class" food for our potluck and it was so GOOD!
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