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10th out of 10 books
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Over and Under
by
Todd Tucker
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
...moreHardcover, 304 pages
Published
July 8th 2008
by Thomas Dunne Books
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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 woods that surround Borden. One of the highlights of their year is the gift they each receive of...more
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 woods that surround Borden. One of the highlights of their year is the gift they each receive of...more
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, gett...more
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, gett...more
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 ...more
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 ha...more
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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...more
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...more
A not actually bad story of two friends riding out a summer in which their fathers are on opposite sides of a strike at the Borden Casket Company. Both fathers are reasonable, and the boys barely realize there is a line on either side of which they are supposed to station themselves: management vs. labor. Lots of "Tom and Huck" type adventure in caves and toting their guns through the woods, until 2 on the labor side accidentally kill 1 on the management side and head for the hills. Th...more
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!
Hope
rated it
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 of their city slicker classmates ...more
Kaela Dominguez
added it
This 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 beca...more
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.
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.
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.
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 require...more
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 ...more
One night when Tom and Andy sneak out of their houses to eavesdrop on the strikers, they witness a bomb explosion that murders ...more
A thoroughly American coming of age story about two boys growing up in small town southern Indiana. An angry strike at the local coffin factory brings to light the separations of class and politics that threaten to tear the town and the boys' friendship apart. I read this in one day and could not put it down. Great atmosphere, great plot, and a thoughtful and wise narrator.
I LOVED this book! Author Todd Tucker writes a wonderful story about the coming-of-age friendship of two teenaged-boys. He tells this story with such imagery and in such a poetic style that he easily pulls the reader in as a witness to this story.
Set in the late 1970s, we are introduced to several families that reside in a small, rural town in Indiana. Narrated from the point-of-view of Andy Gray, he details the friendship between him and Tom Kruer over the course of one summer that t...more
Set in the late 1970s, we are introduced to several families that reside in a small, rural town in Indiana. Narrated from the point-of-view of Andy Gray, he details the friendship between him and Tom Kruer over the course of one summer that t...more
I couldn't put this one down as I had to find out what happened to the boys, their search for the outlaws, and if justice would prevail on many fronts. From the adventures in the caves to the portrayal of a deep-in-your-bones-best-friends-forever relationship, I found the voice to be authentic and refreshing.
this book kind of sucked. like the story was cute, but it was terribly written. there was absolutely no suspense and it was a bit unrealistic. i picked the book up because it said "reminiscent to Stand By Me and To Kill A Mockingbird" and it was not. this book doens't even compare! (also, the inside cover said the story was about 12 year olds, but they were actually 14 lol)
Good coming of age story set in the summer of 1979 in rural Indiana. I liked this sentence from early in the book ..."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."
This was an enjoyable read. Two 14 year-old boys growing up in a small town in Indiana. One summer when the town's largest employers, a casket making plant, was on strike. The two boys were always on an adventure. It was a fun book.
An adventure/coming of age story that takes place in an Indiana factory town in 1979. Took awhile to get into, but there was a good storyline. Noticed after reading that it received the Alex Award. Makes me feel a little better about the level of writing, that it's a book teens could enjoy, but that it wasn't actually written for teens.
I really liked this one. It could almost have 5 stars. Childhood buddies in rural southern IN are like a 1970s version of Huck & Finn as they fearlessly and often foolishly tackle adventures together. They watch as a strike at the main/only factory in town splits their community in two, including their fathers, and don't want their friendship to be. After some discoveries, they decide they can find a couple of local wanted criminals who must be hiding in the woods. They grew up too fast at ...more
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 ...more
The Alex title is interesting for those of us from Indiana. Didn't knock my sox off, but it was an authentic-feeling COA novel with some graceful turns-of-phrase.
excellent coming of age novel as well as illustrating class differences between friends. Good characters.
A beautifully written coming of age story. I would highly recommend it.
this book was more amied towards younger kids i think.
A good story - and discusses labor unions in the south, during the late '70's - so in that regard this is a good read for young adults. However, I think it moves a bit slowly for most teen readers.
Andy and Tom’s fourteenth summer is defined by adventures in the woods and caves near their home, a strike that polarizes their small town, and secrets that test their friendship. - an OK read it you like adventure
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