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annguyen11's review against another edition
5.0
this book scared me so bad when i read it as a kid. i am glad i decided to revisit it tho bc it is a wonderful story. the world and characters really come to life even when a lot of characters only get to tell their story in one chapter each. i really enjoyed rereading it and found a lot of new things to appreciate from an older perspective
nonna's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable historical fiction set in Brooklyn around the turn of the century. Great exposure to the feel of the time period-stick ball in the streets, tenement housing, Coney Island, and the first generation immigrant families who are settling in to their new country.
librariandest's review against another edition
2.0
I love Karen Hesse's novels in verse, so I was surprised that I didn't enjoy this (though this is straight prose, not poetry). There were two separate stories going on in this book, which made it a little disjointed. Overall, I thought there was just too much going on. The main story is about a 14-year-old son of Russian-Jewish immigrants who invent the teddy bear (we're talking 1900ish Brooklyn here). The secondary plot line is a kind of ghost story about lost children living under a bridge. And there's lots of stuff thrown in about the opening of Coney Island.
We have all the standard stuff you would expect from turn-of-the-century Brooklyn: baseball, the grippe, poverty, immigrant issues, etc. It just never gelled for me. I never cared very much about the characters and I found what few plot turns there were to be melodramatic.
I might still recommend this to someone interested in the time period, but I was pretty disappointed.
We have all the standard stuff you would expect from turn-of-the-century Brooklyn: baseball, the grippe, poverty, immigrant issues, etc. It just never gelled for me. I never cared very much about the characters and I found what few plot turns there were to be melodramatic.
I might still recommend this to someone interested in the time period, but I was pretty disappointed.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
I love Karen Hesse and think she's one of the best writers of historical fiction working today.
Like all Hesse books, there's one big thing to pin a many layered story on--and in this, it's the creation of the teddy bear in 1903. But it's really about the neighborhood and immigrants and making your way in the United States.
Things that I loved:
Benny's love for the First Teddy Bear. And just seeing how quickly everyone fell in love with them.
The aunts. Especially The Queen.
Emily's library in a store window
The baseball game.
Highly recommended.
Like all Hesse books, there's one big thing to pin a many layered story on--and in this, it's the creation of the teddy bear in 1903. But it's really about the neighborhood and immigrants and making your way in the United States.
Things that I loved:
Benny's love for the First Teddy Bear. And just seeing how quickly everyone fell in love with them.
The aunts. Especially The Queen.
Emily's library in a store window
The baseball game.
Highly recommended.
mikig's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and readable, but not up to her usual standards. I thought there were elements thrown in just to make a historical connection or tie up a loose end.
ljhind's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nae1226's review against another edition
4.0
Award-winning book. 1903 Brooklyn and the story of how the Teddy Bear was created.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
Good turn-of-the-century historic fiction, set in Brooklyn. Very approachable and definitely "real", including the emotional tugs.
catladyreba's review against another edition
3.0
There is a lot going on in this book. It definitely has more depth and weight than I expected. There's the main story, about Joe and his immigrant Russian family, who have recently invented the Teddy Bear. By itself, this story would be enough, it's a poignant coming of age story that brims with authenticity and verve. Not to mention Hesse hit a soft spot with the inclusion of a home library making the kids salivate just as much for books as they did for candy. But then there are the vignettes woven in about the lost and desperate souls "living" under the Bridge. Each is more disheartening than the last providing an odd contrast to the rest of the novel. This might all still work for me if not for the small quotes and snippets about Coney Island. I get that it's Joe's dream to make it to Coney Island, but they don't seem to fit in with the rhythm of the book. Despite all that, this was definitely a readable novel.