Brooklyn Bridge

Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse has done it again with this deeply moving story of Russian immigrants in 1903 Brooklyn. The production is greatly enhanced by the expert narration of Fred Berman, whose strong Brooklyn accent and use of Yiddish inflection take listeners directly to the time and place. Berman beautifully captures 14-year-old Joseph's electric excitement to participate in the life of the city around him--especially the temptations of baseball games, playing stickball with his friends, and going to Coney Island--while at the same time being conflicted about his own "good luck" at being part of the family that invented the teddy bear, which means a good living but seemingly endless work. A great choice for family listening. D.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse has done it again with this deeply moving story of Russian immigrants in 1903 Brooklyn. The production is greatly enhanced by the expert narration of Fred Berman, whose strong Brooklyn accent and use of Yiddish inflection take listeners directly to the time and place. Berman beautifully captures 14-year-old Joseph's electric excitement to participate in the life of the city around him--especially the temptations of baseball games, playing stickball with his friends, and going to Coney Island--while at the same time being conflicted about his own "good luck" at being part of the family that invented the teddy bear, which means a good living but seemingly endless work. A great choice for family listening. D.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 1, 2008
Inspired by facts surrounding the inventors of the teddy bear, Newbery Medalist Hesse (Out of the Dust
) applies her gift for narrative voice to this memorable story set in 1903 Brooklyn. Fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom's parents, Jewish immigrants from Russia, are the envy of the neighborhood when their toy bears make them prosperous. The principal narrator, Joe, copes with the ironies of their fortune: “Now it's like I got some special kind of power. Only I'm not doing anything good with it.” Resented by his former friends, Joe works in the bear business, gets crushes and longs to go to brand-new Coney Island. Interspersed throughout are brief profiles of street children who make their home under the Brooklyn Bridge, haunted by a ghost they refer to as the Radiant Boy. Deftly paced story lines about Joe's extended family indirectly raise questions about different types of bridges: those from the old country to America, those that cross generations, those that link the unlikeliest individuals. Not until the final chapters does Hesse produce the connection between Joseph and the street children with their ghost, and then the novel explodes with dark drama before its eerie but moving resolution. Ages 10–14.

February 1, 2009
Gr 6-9-Karen Hesse weaves a tale (Feiwel & Friends, 2008) about early 1900s Brooklyn and the Michtom family, Russian immigrants, who invented the first stuffed teddy bear. The story is told by 14-year-old Joseph Michtom who doesn't feel like the "lucky" Joe everyone calls him. The only thing the boy really wants is to visit the new Coney Island amusement park, but now he must help out at his parents' business. Joe doesn't have time to spend with his friends and the family has little time together. Interspersed with Joe's story are newspaper headlines as well as a parallel story of lost, runaway, and cast-out children living under the Brooklyn Bridge. Fred Berman's narration is as authentic as the story. Listeners are transported to Brooklyn, into the homes, streets, and trolley cars, with fully voiced and accented characters brought totally alive. The Michtom family's emotions are clearly expressed and poignantly felt. The two layers of the story are vocally distinct in their telling, allowing listeners to shift seamlessly between the experiences. The only flaw is the mispronunciation of the author's last name in the introduction (it is correct in the closing credits). A compelling listen for school and public libraries."Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY"

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