Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
111th out of 2,636 books
—
4,869 voters
The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends #1)
One night, the sounds of New York City--the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices--is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only hea...more
Mass Market Paperback, 176 pages
Published
May 11th 1999
by Yearling
(first published 1960)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
A cricket, a mouse, and a cat are an unlikely trio--but that's the primary cast of friendy characters in this book. Chester Cricket is from the country and accidentally ends up in the Times Square subway station in Manhatten. It's there that he meets spunky Tucker the mouse and quiet Harry the cat. Chester is found by Mario, a younf boy who works at his parents newstand. Surrounded by new friends, Chester is excited to see new sights and experience new things. And his friends are thrilled to fin...more
I loved this book when I was a kid. It's a good book to read right now (early September) because it ends in September. (According to the book, crickets chirp most in late summer. This book spans from the beginning of summer to September.) It is also a good book to read if you are planning a trip to New York City, or even Connecticut (Chester's original home.)
The Chinese man's accent is just awful and I cleaned it up when I read this book aloud to my son, but basically it has a good depiction of...more
The Chinese man's accent is just awful and I cleaned it up when I read this book aloud to my son, but basically it has a good depiction of...more
I remember my third grade teacher reading this book aloud to us every day after lunch, and I remember really enjoying it, but I could barely remember the main characters when I recently picked it up again! I fell in love with it while reading it this time, it's such a charming story. I love this kind of children's book - a self-contained book with appealing characters you root for, amusing escapades, a unique and distinct setting that you grow to know and understand, and an overarching plot that...more
I had the privilege of listening to a noted educator last Thursday evening that advocates teaching children using "the classics". Definition of, (which I agree whole-heartedly) is any worth-while book that is so good you want to read more than once; and would be a great choice for creative use in teaching many subjects: history, math, geography, etc. I love this way of inspired classroom teaching and creative learning! Among the classics he mentioned was “Cricket in Times Square”, 1961 Newbery W...more
The book that i am reading is the cricket in time square it is about a cricket that gets lost and goes on a train and ends up in time square.
then a boy finds the cricket and wants to keep him as a pet but his mom said no and then the dad said yes the mom was not happy but then boy named Mario got to keep it.
Mario keeped it in their parents shop his bed was a match box.
then at night a mouse and a cat jumped up it scared the cricket he hid in the match box then the mouse said its okay this is my f...more
then a boy finds the cricket and wants to keep him as a pet but his mom said no and then the dad said yes the mom was not happy but then boy named Mario got to keep it.
Mario keeped it in their parents shop his bed was a match box.
then at night a mouse and a cat jumped up it scared the cricket he hid in the match box then the mouse said its okay this is my f...more
I like liked the book because the writer used cool words and adjectives. My favorite part was when the cricket was singing and the Billings family made lots of money because of the cricket's talent. My lease favorite part was the beginning because the first chapters are always boring while the author is trying to set up the story. When the cricket, Chester, ate the $2 bill and Tucker was accused for it, I thought it was a bummer because its just not right to be blamed for something you didn't do...more
When I first arrived in America, I was so pleased that I could read all the signs that were in English that it never occurred to me that the average American would not have heard of Enid Blyton. I was thunderstruck. One of the bastions of literature for small children in ex-British colonies all over the world was virtually unknown here, together with creations such as Noddy, the Secret Seven, the Five Find Outers...
Of course, there was some overlap. Americans seemed well acquainted with Roald Da...more
Of course, there was some overlap. Americans seemed well acquainted with Roald Da...more
This was one I had missed as a child but I read it aloud to my four-year-old daughter and we both enjoyed it! It’s a very cute story.
A cricket from CT named Chester finds himself ignominiously gathered up in an errant picnic basket when urban picnickers return to NYC after a nice afternoon out in the “country.” He ends up in the subway station at Times Square and befriends a mouse named Tucker, a cat named Harry, and a boy named Mario, whose family owns a failing newsstand in the station. Inter...more
A cricket from CT named Chester finds himself ignominiously gathered up in an errant picnic basket when urban picnickers return to NYC after a nice afternoon out in the “country.” He ends up in the subway station at Times Square and befriends a mouse named Tucker, a cat named Harry, and a boy named Mario, whose family owns a failing newsstand in the station. Inter...more
The Cricket in Times Square was one of my favorite books I've read. The book is about a cricket who finds his life in Times Square. Chester is the cricket's name. He is originally from Connecticut, but he got on a wrong train. Also, in the book, there is this kid named Mario. Mario finds Chester in his parent's shop. Mario's mother wants him out, but Mario's father things that Mario should keep Chester.
During his adventure in Times Square, he meets Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. Tucker and Harry a...more
During his adventure in Times Square, he meets Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. Tucker and Harry a...more
All of us writers have so much to learn from this book. If you are not a writer, skip this paragraph. If you are, or aspire to be, a writer, try this exercise: 1. Type out the first few paragraphs of A Cricket in Times Square as you read them. Feel the music in your fingers. Feel the light quickness of the sentences. 2. Turn to the end of the book (if you have read it before!), and type out the last few paragraphs. Take a moment to feel it again. You have just felt in your own fingers a little b...more
I enjoyed this book as a child, but for some reason as an adult I had come to mistakenly believe that it was one of those books that had a great plot but which didn't age well in terms of language use. How wrong I was! Re-reading the book, I found it charming in terms of both writing style and events. Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and especially Tucker Mouse all had different personalities that came through in their actions and dialogue, so characterization was definitely distinguished. I thought...more
When I picked up this book, I was just interested because the story takes its place in New York, where I lived for three years through my college (and I hope to go back and get a job soon). But as I read through, I was facinated by how Selden described each characters and surroundings that I could picture everything in my head. I could exactly guess where in Time Square Station the Bellini's news stand is, how they'lllook, how they'll talk and even how they'll moved and act. All the characters w...more
While I remember reading this book for school when I was very young, I didn't remember much about the plot. It's really an interesting look at New York City in the middle of the 20th century, and was maybe one of my first introductions to the Big Apple. I remember wondering before reading the book if "Times Square" had something to do with time travel or some other kind of science fiction.
Of course, there's nothing like that in George Selden's classic book. It's a simple and sweet tale of someon...more
Of course, there's nothing like that in George Selden's classic book. It's a simple and sweet tale of someon...more
Dec 10, 2009
Julia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-chapter-book,
read-aloud-with-kids
This book was about a Connecticut cricket who gets lost in New York City. He is taken care of by the Bellini family and befriended by a mouse and a cat. This is an enjoyable book to read. It has lots of different types of characters from animals to the Bellini family, Sai Fong a Chinese man who befriends Mario, the boy who found the cricket, and some minor characters, people who work in Grand Central Station.
Perhaps,though, it would appeal more to people who like New York and understand its rhyt...more
Perhaps,though, it would appeal more to people who like New York and understand its rhyt...more
I loved this book. I don't normally like books with talking animals and I don't like Newberry Medal books either but this one was great.
The Times Square subway station from The Cricket in Times Square is full of fiction and nonfiction. Some examples of nonrealistic things would be Tucker Mouse, Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and the Bellinis. Some realistic parts are the shuttle train and the station itself.
Tucker Mouse is a city mouse that lives in a drain pipe with a city cat named Harry. For som...more
The Times Square subway station from The Cricket in Times Square is full of fiction and nonfiction. Some examples of nonrealistic things would be Tucker Mouse, Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and the Bellinis. Some realistic parts are the shuttle train and the station itself.
Tucker Mouse is a city mouse that lives in a drain pipe with a city cat named Harry. For som...more
May 06, 2009
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE is a classic children's story. Written in the 1960's and the winner of a Newbery Honor Book award, THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE has wonderful staying power. Now, courtesy of Macmillan Young Listeners, the tale truly comes to life.
The story finds a country cricket, Chester, unwittingly stranded in New York City. After falling asleep in a picnic basket in Connecticut, he wakes up in a world that is totally different to him. He is be...more
THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE is a classic children's story. Written in the 1960's and the winner of a Newbery Honor Book award, THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE has wonderful staying power. Now, courtesy of Macmillan Young Listeners, the tale truly comes to life.
The story finds a country cricket, Chester, unwittingly stranded in New York City. After falling asleep in a picnic basket in Connecticut, he wakes up in a world that is totally different to him. He is be...more
The Cricket in times square 4/20/09
By Gorge Selden
150pp.New York,NY
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0-440-41563-2
Have you seen a cricket singing in times square? It happens here in this novel, where Chester Cricket, a musically talented cricket who arrives in New York City on a train from Connecticut.Traveling all alone but luckily found a boy found Chester. The boy liked Chester the moment he was him as if he already notice that there is a deep music talent inside Chester.
While...more
By Gorge Selden
150pp.New York,NY
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0-440-41563-2
Have you seen a cricket singing in times square? It happens here in this novel, where Chester Cricket, a musically talented cricket who arrives in New York City on a train from Connecticut.Traveling all alone but luckily found a boy found Chester. The boy liked Chester the moment he was him as if he already notice that there is a deep music talent inside Chester.
While...more
I first read this as part of a school project in fifth grade. I had high hopes for the story, as my teacher Mrs. Williams had at that point required us to read as a class three books that I to this day consider to be among the best I have ever read (E.B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan", John D. Fitzgerald's "More Adventures of the Great Brain", and Katherine Paterson's "Bridge to Terabithia").
The Cricket in Times Square was yet another unquestionable hit, in my eyes. I loved the general feel...more
The Cricket in Times Square was yet another unquestionable hit, in my eyes. I loved the general feel...more
What in the hell did I just read? Seriously, I was too distracted by the fact that Mr. & Mrs. Bellini were terrible parents, and I mean Dina Lohan terrible, to pay much attention to anything else. They make their son, Mario, work well past after Midnight on the weekend, the kid has to man their tiny newspaper stand alone at night in the middle of a Times Square subway station. They also allow him to wonder around alone in Chinatown at night. At night! I don't care if this was published in 19...more
Nov 15, 2011
Jonathan Stemberger
added it
The Cricket in Times Square:
George Selden writes a coming of age story in The Cricket in Times Square. He builds strong characters in the story with Harry, Tucker, and Chester the cricket; I also hope to build strong characters in my one writing. The main characters are animals which make the story individual and specific; they are easily stereotyped by their own nature. The piece provides a strong setting for the reader, I hope to replicate Selden’s type of description, and he is very specific...more
George Selden writes a coming of age story in The Cricket in Times Square. He builds strong characters in the story with Harry, Tucker, and Chester the cricket; I also hope to build strong characters in my one writing. The main characters are animals which make the story individual and specific; they are easily stereotyped by their own nature. The piece provides a strong setting for the reader, I hope to replicate Selden’s type of description, and he is very specific...more
I first listened to this book on tape when I was in the 6th grade, headed to New York to visist my family. I loved it then, and I still love it now! I found it commical that Chester, a cricket, befriends a mouse, a cat, and a boy when he mistakenly ends up in Manhattan. Mario, the young boy Chester cricket meets, works for his family in their newstand. Mario does not see Chester cricket as a pesky insect, but a little friend with a big musical talent. This was a very well-written book. It was no...more
This is a wonderful and endearing story about a cricket that finds himself in a busy city of New York and no longer in the quiet meadow that he spent most of his life in. He finds new friends and gets himself into some mischief. He becomes a star and finds himself missing his home. Even though this is a story about talking animals, it is very believable an intriguing. The characters in this story have real life problems to overcome and are easily relatable. The reader finds friendship and genero...more
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden is a story about talent, however, not with humans but with a single cricket who by chanced landed himself at the Times Square subway station. His name is Chester and can create a beautiful melody with his wings. He befriends a cat and a mouse, and a kind little boy who protects and takes care of him. Recognizing his talent, Mario’s parents use Chester a way to finally have some money at their little newspaper stand. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, an...more
A charming little book about Chester the Cricket and his adventures with his friends Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat, who all live in the Times Square subway station in New York.
After being tempted by the smell of liverwurst during a picnic, Chester finds himself uprooted from his country home in Connecticut and trapped in a picnic basket, only to escape in the subway station, where he is adopted by Mario, who works at a newstand with his parents. With the help of Tucker and Harry, Chester c...more
After being tempted by the smell of liverwurst during a picnic, Chester finds himself uprooted from his country home in Connecticut and trapped in a picnic basket, only to escape in the subway station, where he is adopted by Mario, who works at a newstand with his parents. With the help of Tucker and Harry, Chester c...more
SUBWAY SYMPHONIES!
Can a country cricket from Connecticut make a successful career change in New York's Times Square? Can he make friends and influence people among the callous commuters? Can he find musical fulfillment in a noisy subway station? Well, Chester is an excellent musician (who regretfully acquires a guilded, oriental cage) but how can he be heard in his new environment?
Honest and grateful as well as talented, Chester wants to help his hosts--the Bellini family--at their struggling...more
Can a country cricket from Connecticut make a successful career change in New York's Times Square? Can he make friends and influence people among the callous commuters? Can he find musical fulfillment in a noisy subway station? Well, Chester is an excellent musician (who regretfully acquires a guilded, oriental cage) but how can he be heard in his new environment?
Honest and grateful as well as talented, Chester wants to help his hosts--the Bellini family--at their struggling...more
Turns out, this book is racist. Yeah, it's not very nice to the Italians and particularly not nice to the Chinese. I didn't notice this as a kid, but other people noticed, so some of the more racist features have been edited out, and Sai Fong now can pronounce his Rs. As an adult, I reread the less racist version.
If we can ignore the stereotypes of the humans and focus on the animals, this book is pretty sweet. A cricket accidentally ends up in NYC and befriends a mouse and a cat. The cricket ha...more
If we can ignore the stereotypes of the humans and focus on the animals, this book is pretty sweet. A cricket accidentally ends up in NYC and befriends a mouse and a cat. The cricket ha...more
CIP: "Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he'd seen it all. But he's never met a cricket before, which really isn't surprising, because, along with his friend Harry Cat, Tucker lives in the very heart of New York City-the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma of liverwurst right into someone's picnic basket. Now, like any tourist in the city, he wants to look around. An...more
I chose the book The Cricket In Times Square because of the interesting back cover.this book is about a cricket who lives in Connecticut, but sadly he gets lost in New York.A boy named Mario takes Chester the cricket and makes it his pet. Meanwhile the cricket is in New York he becomes friends with a mouse named Tucker and a cat named Harry. At first the three friends makes disasters. Later on Chester wows Mario's family with his beautiful music he makes with his wings.My favorite Quote from th...more
It is considered a children's classic, but I never read it in school. However, during a recent power outage, I found it lying around on a shelf and picked it up since it was small.
The book is not long nor overly-difficult. However, I was surprised at how rich the characters were and simple the story flowed. The use of the English language is both grand and simple. I am not sure children in elementary school would be able to fully understand the concepts of friendship and the meaning of "being ho...more
The book is not long nor overly-difficult. However, I was surprised at how rich the characters were and simple the story flowed. The use of the English language is both grand and simple. I am not sure children in elementary school would be able to fully understand the concepts of friendship and the meaning of "being ho...more
Although I never read "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden as a child, I enjoyed having the experience of reading it now. The story is a touching, yet still exciting, tale of personal growth that both parents and children would be able to empathize with.
New York City takes on a personality of its own in Selden’s writing. I enjoyed his representation of its many different parts and the people that could be found throughout its streets. Chinatown, the subway station and even Central Park...more
New York City takes on a personality of its own in Selden’s writing. I enjoyed his representation of its many different parts and the people that could be found throughout its streets. Chinatown, the subway station and even Central Park...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
George Selden (1929-1989) was the author of The Cricket in Times Square, winner of the 1961 Newbery Honor and a timeless children's classic. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Selden received his B.A. from Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed to the literary magazine. He spent three summer sessions at Columbia University and, after college, studied for a year in Rome on...more
More about George Selden...
Share This Book
3 trivia questions
1 quiz
More quizzes & trivia...
1 quiz
“Tucker the mouse said I learned the value of ecomonicness - which means savings.”
—
3 people liked it
“Neatness was not one of the things he aimed at in life.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Nov 12, 2012 03:34pm