My rating:

add to my books

Brooklyn Bridge

by Karen Hesse, Chris Sheban (Illustrator)

3.51 · rating details · 297 ratings · 108 reviews

Karen Hesse has achieved many honors for her more than twenty books over the course of her award-winning career: the Newbery Medal, the Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award, the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” Award, and the Christopher Medal. Her novels burn with intensity, and keenly felt, deeply researched, and are memorable for their imagination and intelligence.

...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published September 2nd 2008 by Feiwel & Friends

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

2009 Newbery Contenders

14th out of 67 books — 481 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 488)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 27, 2008

Elizabeth rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Karen Hesse is back, baby! A person only gets so many golden opportunities in their life, you know. There are only so many times you get a chance to say that someone’s back. Someone who may have taken a small vacation from writing for a while. Karen Hesse is a good example of this. She’s done some picture books and short stories but her last novel, Aleutian Sparrow came out in 2003. Now she’s returned to the field in force and with a full-length no-verse-in-sight middle grade novel on her...moreKaren Hesse is back, baby! A person only gets so many golden opportunities in their life, you know. There are only so many times you get a chance to say that someone’s back. Someone who may have taken a small vacation from writing for a while. Karen Hesse is a good example of this. She’s done some picture books and short stories but her last novel, Aleutian Sparrow came out in 2003. Now she’s returned to the field in force and with a full-length no-verse-in-sight middle grade novel on her hands. I mean Hesse was always the queen of verse. Her Out of the Dust won itself a Newbery, and I cherish in a soft place in my heart The Music of Dolphins. I guess you could say it was my favorite Hesse book . . . until now. Brooklyn Bridge takes a fancy to the summer of 1903. A time of bears, Coney Island, hot nights, and sharp delicious pickles.

To hear fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom tell it, everything was fine before the bears. Yeah, his family wasn’t rich or anything. His dad ran a candy store and they were like everyone else in their neighborhood. They made do. Then President Roosevelt had to go and NOT shoot a bear and everything went wrong. His Dad got this crazy idea about making stuffed bears out of cloth instead of wood or metal and suddenly everyone and his brother wanted one! Now Joseph’s dad never has time to do little things like take his kids to Coney Island, and with all the family drama Joseph’s feeling a little shut out. Paired alongside Joseph’s thoughts are stories of a group of street kids that live underneath the Brooklyn Bridge at night. Haunted, both literally and figuratively, by a past tied unknowingly to Joseph's, their story highlights the boy's newfound status.

The book has a large cast of characters, all of them single-minded and interesting. All three of Joseph’s aunts act and react off of one another in ways that have become almost rote over the years. Pay close attention to when Hesse chooses to switch between their nicknames (“The Queen”, “Aunt Beast”, and “Aunt Mouse”) and their real names. That’s a lesson in narrative power right there. As for other family members, Joseph’s younger sister Emily is the wise one in the family, a fact that both she and Joseph recognize without animosity on either end. Really, that was one of the best parts of the book. The sheer levels of affection between different family members. Even when they’re fed up or frustrated with one another, you can feel a deep and abiding love there. The family of the Michtoms is also mirrored in the rag tag family of stray kids under the bridge. There’s loyalty in both groups, though one seems like a pale knockoff of the other.

As for the writing itself, Hesse using the two narratives (Joseph’s vs. the kids under the bridge) to try things out. Joseph’s story is straightforward with little poetic asides but nothing overly lyrical. The bridge kids get all the pretty words, maybe to make up for their crummy little lives. A boy who feels affection for a girl simply called The Bride is described as, “close to no one until The Bride came, the white-necked bride, who no longer wore her hair pinned up in the fashion of a lady, but down, in one thick braid, like a farm girl from Nebraska, like the mother he’d never known.” Or about a small girl who, for reasons unknown, once drank poison. “She just cried. Silent tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes two green bruises in a dusky face.” Simpler still, just the use of an adjective at the right point makes all the difference in the world when closing out a chapter. “... and the sun rose, evicting the sharp-shouldered children from under the bridge for one more day.”

I say that the novel is prose rather than verse, but that isn’t to say that Hesse’s poetic sensibilities have taken a back seat. No sir! Not she. The novel splits into two separate narratives. On the one hand you have Joseph, his life, and his worries. And on the other hand you have the children that live under the Brooklyn Bridge and their stories. Now, when you compare Joseph’s woes (woes = how his parents are too busy to take him to Coney Island) to the woes of the kids under the bridge (woes = drinking acid, sleeping with corpses, stealing, madness, and worse), you’d be naturally inclined to think that Joseph was going to come across as a pretty whiny kid. He thinks HE has problems? Has he ever heard of Mattie, a boy who knew about “eating things no one should eat”? Hesse, however, is exceedingly clever. First of all, for a lot of kids reading this book, they’re going to sympathize with Joseph. Having parents so consumed by their professional lives that they fail to spend enough time for their family? Not exactly a non-existent problem today. Fact of the matter, I’d say that most kids that read this book would identify more closely with Joseph than someone like Mattie. But by pairing his frustrations alongside those of the homeless street kids, Hesse is able to keep returning to the notion of being lucky. The very first sentence in this book is, “The guys say I’m lucky.” For immigrants coming to America for the first time, you needed luck. The kids under the bridge don’t have it and Joseph does, and on some level he’s aware of this even if he isn’t aware of the specific existence of the kids themselves. At one point in the tale Joseph’s little brother gives a small girl his bear. Once he does so he’s amazed by the amount of freedom he has. And then Joseph thinks to himself, “What bear had I been carrying . . . And what would it take for me to let it go?” Even the lucky ones amongst us have bears. It’s the letting go that’s difficult.

Spoiler alert, by the way. I was also amazed that Joseph never ran across the kids under the bridge. There’s one moment where he passes Guy on the street, but it’s a throwaway moment for him. He barely registers the kid’s existence. And yet, his own story, the one that waits until the end of the book to be told, is tied very closely to the story of the bridge kids. This, if anything, was the weak point of the book. The sudden reveal at the end that the ghost under the bridge is Joseph's cousin? It felt like it came out of left field. If Joseph had been feeling guilty about this role in the boy's death, shouldn't that have been alluded to in ways that are less oblique than the ones found here?

It’s an older book than Hesse’s others. There are references to nasty things done by Cossacks to young girls, and children beaten until they almost die. It’s never explicit and never described in any depth, but there's enough to cause me to suggest that maybe this book would be more appropriate for the older set. The 12 and up crowd, perhaps. This is perhaps one of Hesse’s most accomplished novels. It’s historical fiction that uses the past as a point of reference rather than as the point of the novel. Hesse is weaving together so many seemingly disparate elements and living breathing characters that the end result feels more like a film, a theatrical production, or a scene on a city street than a book for kids. I use the word “beautiful” when describing works of fiction because it’s a difficult term to justify. But this book is beautiful. Beautiful and weird and real in a way that will touch you. If five-year absences yield books as fine as this, I urge every writer to take an extended vacation pronto.

Ages 12-15(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Jan 11, 2009

Lori rated it

Shelves: children-s-books

Wow - I was blown away by this book, perhaps moreso because I didn't expect to be. I am really impressed by Brooklyn Bridge.

The setting of turn-of-the-century Brooklyn is vividly brought to life in the reader's imagination through 14-year old Joseph's first-person narration, excerpts describing Coney Island from actual newspapers from that time, and a parallel story of street children living under the Brooklyn Bridge that contrasts with Joseph's comfortable life with a large, loving...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 05, 2008

Tasha rated it

Shelves: childrens-books

Joseph feels trapped in his Brooklyn apartment surrounded by the Teddy Bears that his family invented a few months ago. The bears have taken over their lives, their space and their toy store. Now Joseph spends his days stuffing bears, packaging them, and being responsible for his younger brother and sister. And all he longs to do is go to Coney Island, the symbol of all that is fun and all that is not his current life. But life isn't that simple, as he quickly finds out as he faces falling i...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 30, 2009

Janessa rated it

Initially I was put off by the character of Joseph Michtom: a priveleged boy whining about his good fortune. But Hesse positioned Joseph in such a unique and compelling historical setting -- Brooklyn at the turn of the 20th century, where immigrants struggle for their piece of the American Dream, baseball is becoming the national pastime, and Coney Island is the great equalizer with its entertainments that beckon all who have the dime to get through the gate. So at first, I read in spite of Jo...more

· see review

Jan 14, 2009

Nancy rated it

Shelves: award-winners, children-s-books, historical-fiction, jewish-fiction, january-2009

Based lightly on the story of the family that made the first teddy bears, this is the story of a Jewish immigrant family in New York, told from the point of view of 14 year old Joseph. He resents his family's success because it makes them seem better in the eyes of the neighborhood and his friends defer to him in a way that makes him uncomfortable. His family is also so busy that they have no time to spend with him and his two younger siblings, or to take them to Coney Island, which is his big d...more

· see review

Jan 03, 2009

The Library Lady rated it

Okay, here I go again swimming against the chorus of critics, many of whom I think are biased once an author has won an award or two (or three).

First of all, there is too much here I've read before. There's the gruff relative with a secret heart of gold doing good works--that's Uncle Chris in Kathryn Forbes' "Mama's Bank Account". There's characters and plotlines from"All of A Kind Family and even "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"

Then there's the fact th...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 07, 2010

Cindy Hudson rated it

Fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom knows he’s one of the lucky ones in New York during the early 1900s. He’s the son of a successful Russian immigrant. He’s got a warm place to live, enough food so he doesn’t go hungry, and family to love him. Although sometimes he doesn’t feel so lucky, because his parents no longer spend much time with him now that they are consumed with their new venture—sewing and selling as many of the new “Teddy bears” they created as they can. Joseph’s parents came up with ...moreFourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom knows he’s one of the lucky ones in New York during the early 1900s. He’s the son of a successful Russian immigrant. He’s got a warm place to live, enough food so he doesn’t go hungry, and family to love him. Although sometimes he doesn’t feel so lucky, because his parents no longer spend much time with him now that they are consumed with their new venture—sewing and selling as many of the new “Teddy bears” they created as they can. Joseph’s parents came up with the idea for creating the cuddly animals after President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a cornered bear while on a bear hunt.

Joseph’s family has found new wealth and prestige from their invention, but the boys in the neighborhood treat Joseph differently, as though he’s changed from the same old Joe who has always been a friend. Joe spends a lot of time with his sister Emily and their baby brother Benjamin. Joe and Emily dream of going to Coney Island one day, but it doesn’t seem as though their parents will ever take enough time off to take them there.

Interspersed with Joe’s story are vignettes of homeless children living under the Brooklyn Bridge. They leave home for many reasons, either they are abused or orphaned or crippled in some way, but they find shelter and solace with each other.

Karen Hesse’s novel Brooklyn Bridge is a wonderful portrait of family in its many facets as well as the story of the struggle of immigrants to leave their old lives behind and fit into their new country. It paints a rich picture of Brooklyn in the early 1900s. We get a picture of life in Russia that many of Joseph’s friends and family left, and of his aunt who worked tirelessly so that many could leave their homeland and find opportunity in the U.S. There’s a strong sense of family obligations, helping out your fellow man, and showing respect to adults. Issues to discuss with mother-daughter book clubs include homelessness, historical events in Russia and the U.S., immigration, sibling relationships and family dynamics. Highly recommended for clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.

(less)

· see review

May 04, 2009

Vicki rated it

I loved this book!! This is a wholesome book that can be read by any age 4th grade up. It is about the Michtom family who were the ones that created the teddy bear inspired by Teddy Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear cub. It qualifies as historical fiction, but don't tell the kids. They think they hate historical fiction. It also has "interior chapters." (I borrow that term from the "Grapes of Wrath".) The interior chapters are about the children that live under the Bro...more

· see review

Mar 08, 2009

Jamie rated it

Recommended to Jamie by: Capitol Choices

Shelves: 12-14, family, historical

Historical fiction - not my genre - how many times have I said this?

Yet, when one is good, it is very very good and that's what I got from this book. The main narrative, of Joseph, whose father invents the "teddy bear" (and I was WAAY into this story before I realized that I actually had the question with Morris Michtom at trivia just 2 weeks ago.) (And actually the fact that Hesse took real people and utterly fictionalized them was slightly annoying, one of the things that...more

· see review

Feb 19, 2009

Kelly rated it

Shelves: work

In turn of the last century Brooklyn, the Mitchom family creates their own luck by inventing the very first stuffed teddy bear after seeing an opinion cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt not shooting a tethered bear cub. As their bears grow in popularity, they turn their candy store into both a teddy bear factory and store-front branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

Fourteen-year old Joe Mitchom tells the story of two months during the summer of 1903. Alternately, mini-chapters tell the ...more

· see review

Nov 23, 2008

Tamsyn rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Karen Hesse is a wonderful writer of historical fiction who always gets to the heart of her characters. This time we are taken to Brooklyn in 1903, where we become involved in the life of a Russian-Jewish family who have just gotten their lucky break, changing their fortune: they were the first to create a stuffed "teddy's bear", and they can't make them fast enough. Joseph, their son, tells us their story, though he resents the changes to their family and home life that the success...more

· see review

Jan 04, 2009

Jean rated it

Shelves: audiobooks

Hess quickly takes the reader into turn-of-the-century New York City and into the life of Joseph Michtom. But as we immerse ourselves in Joe's life and his woes, she introduces us to other lives - the lives of the street kids living under the bridge. As the story moves along we alternate between the joys and sadnesses in Joseph's loving, middle-class family and the glimpses of the overwhelming horror of the lives of the street kids. As the story moved along, I kept wondering what the connecti...more

· see review

Jun 05, 2009

Destinee Sutton rated it

Recommends it for: 11-15

Shelves: families, guy-reads, historical-fiction, immigrant-experience, juvenile, new-york, teen

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. An...more

· see review

Mar 05, 2009

Barbara rated it

Recommends it for: Gr 6-9

Shelves: historical-fiction, ya, washyarg

In this historical fiction about New York immigrant neighborhoods, a Russian Jewish family invents a stuffed ‘Teddy’ bear after seeing the story of Teddy Roosevelt sparing a bear cub on a hunting trip. Life changes for 14 yr old Joseph Michtom as the Teddy bear changes their fortunes. The success of the bear business upsets Joseph's life: the whole family is now working so hard that there is no time for family life, and their success sets them apart from other struggling immigrants. All he ...more

· see review

Dec 07, 2010

Lorena rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Nov 16, 2008

Lisa rated it

This was an interesting book based on a true story but the secondary story line seemed so odd. Even though the author tied the two together, the book felt disjointed. The secondary story line was distracting and didn't add anything to the main story.

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 10, 2011

Stacey rated it

I like to read books that the kids are reading, or sometimes I pre-read to see if it is appropriate for my daughter. I picked Brooklyn Bridge because I grew up in Brooklyn and felt that I could relate to the characters.

There were things I liked about the book, the immigrant exerience, the perspective of a teenage boy, the kinship or bond between siblings. There were a lot of good aspects of the story. I feel it was well written.

However, the story was also very dark at t...more

· see review

Feb 09, 2009

Sharon rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction, cpl-best-of-the-best, juvenile-fiction

This is an interesting re-imagining of the family that invented the teddy bear in the early 1900s New York (I seem to also be a sucker for stories set in this place and time period). I also enjoyed how Karen Hesse almost flawlessly weaved in the serious issues of immigration and poverty in Brooklyn while still keeping the main focus on the family story. However, overall the story did feel a little too calculated in some ways---to convey a message or win awards---and somewhat unnatural. I definit...more

· see review

Jan 14, 2009

Rachael rated it

I really enjoyed the story of the Michtom family, particularly as a fan of historical fiction and books that take place in NYC. Hesse's use of quotes about Coney Island, and her brief glimpses of the children under the bridge provide illumination on what life was like for other Brooklynites at the time. Before the last 20 pages, I would have rated the book 5 stars. However, the ending took a surprising and somewhat disturbing tone as it focused more on the subplot of the bridge children. I'm...more

· see review

Jan 02, 2009

Wendy rated it

It took me a while to get used to this; at first, the slight tinge of Yiddish accent and the interludes with the street children were distracting, but eventually the dialect felt natural and I was caught up in the stories of the street children. I was disappointed in the slightly bizarre turn the book took at the end, but in general, I thought this was solid. It really could have used some more laughs--the one laugh-out-loud moment I found was well-done and well-incorporated--and I think would...more

· see review

Jan 22, 2010

Susan rated it

Shelves: middle-grades

Two individual stories finally converge at the end of this book, giving the reader an "aha!" moment. The book takes place in early-20th century Brooklyn. The plot revolves around a Jewish family that used to run a candy store but due to the father's bright flash of an idea, have started a new business. He saw a picture of President Theodore Roosevelt holding a bear cub, and he got the idea to create and sell "Teddy bears." The business has suddenly outgrown the upstairs apart...more

· see review

Jan 02, 2011

Dawn rated it

Shelves: hopefuls

Joseph's family has immigrated to America from Russia because they are Jewish. He and his siblings are the first in their family to have been born ing America. His parents own a candy story but then discover they build the first "Teddy" bear and begin a road to great success and experience the American dream. I really enjoyed this book, but it didn't get 5 stars because in between each chapter there is a section where they talk about the lives of orphans that are living under the Br...more

· see review

Mar 24, 2009

Kendall rated it

Shelves: middle-school-and-chapter-books

I really liked the story in this book--it was refreshing to read about a turn-of-the-century immigrant family that was positive...so much different from books like The Jungle! The book is realistic in many parts, I believe, and I think it would be a great addition to a fourth or fifth grade social studies curriculum--students studying this time in American history would get a lot of reading it. The one distraction was the inner chapters, which actually come together at the end. At the beginni...more

· see review

Jun 21, 2010

Julie Bennett rated it

Shelves: second-set

Kind of a weird book by Karen Hesse... Based on the story of Joseph Michtom in 1903 Brooklyn. His family immigrated from Russia and invented the teddy bear! (Historical fiction) But with this new toy, he's no longer the normal quiet boy. He's the rich too-good-for-everyone-else boy. He just wants to go back to being invisible and to visit Coney Island where he can just slip away into the crowds but there's never the time. He finally works up the nerve to just walk there and learns a lot abou...more

· see review

Oct 12, 2008

Roxanne Hsu Feldman rated it

Shelves: 2008, 6-8grade, childrensbooks, historicalfiction, bestbooks

I did not know that this would have been so good. I did not expect that I would have loved it so much and that I could not stop reading it and pretty much finishing it in one "fell swoop." It seems Dickensian, but that might not be a fair comparison because it is actually quite sparing and except for the intentional repetitive phrasing in those dream-like segments about the children "under the bridge" (and so effective, those poetic passages.. *sigh*), there is not that muc...more

· see review

Nov 13, 2008

Jess rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction, juv, audiobook, immigrants

The story had an episodic feel to it that reminded me of Richard Peck's A Long Way From Chicago - historical fiction with vivid characters, a real sense of time and place, humor - although this didn't have the same sense of the absurd. Mixed in with the story of a family of immigrants was the story of children living under the bridge, all with tragic pasts, and told in a more mysterious tone than the rest of the more down-to-earth story. I almost liked the way the two story lines came together...more

· see review

Mar 20, 2009

Kelly rated it

Shelves: juvenile

Juxtaposition of stories of the lives of Russian immigrants, homeless kids under Bridge, NY Times quotes about Coney Island. Brooklyn, c. 1903.

Brooklyn Bridge: a novel
Karen Hesse

Teddy bears are taking over Joseph [rhymes with “victim”:] Michtum’s life. Teddy bears are filling 14-year old Joseph’s Brooklyn home and family candy store. It’s the turn of the twentieth century (1903), Teddy Roosevelt is president, and Joseph’s Russian immigrant parents have come up wi...more

· see review

Oct 12, 2008

Heather rated it

Shelves: childrens-fiction, coming-of-age, historical-fiction, mock-newbery-2009

I am going to hold a mock Newbery Award for a group of 5th and 6th graders at school, and this is one of the books I am pre-reading to decide if I will include it in the reading selections. I didn't really like it at first because I had just read Trouble by Gary Schmidt, and he is such a great writer that the language in this book paled in comparison. This historical fiction story is about a boy named Joseph, whose parents immigrated from Russia to New York. His parents invented the "Teddy"...more

· see review

Aug 31, 2008

Karen rated it

My Review of BROOKLYN BRIDGE by Karen Hesse

Well worth the five year wait, award winning author Karen Hesse’s new book, Brooklyn Bridge, is a memorable mix of historical fiction with a trace of enchanting fantasy. Hesse introduces this immigrant tale with a quote by Isaac Newton:” We build too many walls and not enough bridges”. This quote could be considered “a spoiler” if one could interpret its relevance prior to reading the story. However, readers must finish the book in order to...moreMy Review of BROOKLYN BRIDGE by Karen Hesse

Well worth the five year wait, award winning author Karen Hesse’s new book, Brooklyn Bridge, is a memorable mix of historical fiction with a trace of enchanting fantasy. Hesse introduces this immigrant tale with a quote by Isaac Newton:” We build too many walls and not enough bridges”. This quote could be considered “a spoiler” if one could interpret its relevance prior to reading the story. However, readers must finish the book in order to see what Ms. Hesse means by using this quotation symbolically in relation to the actual Brooklyn Bridge and humanity, especially in the special era she wrote about.

In the early 1900s, the family of fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom has come from Russia to settle in America where the streets are made of gold. His is the typical lively and colorful family who has come to live the immigrant life of 1903 Brooklyn. Joseph who has a pretty good life for a kid in those days, filled with stick ball, a good home, family and lots of friends, is blessed but his dream centers on going to the new and thrilling amusement park known as Coney Island. However, Coney Island must wait. The Michtom family, in Joseph’s mind, is doing fine with their candy store when suddenly his Dad gets an idea that instead of making toy bears out of metal or wood, they should be made of cloth. Before you can say ‘teddy bear’, the idea takes off and the family is swamped with the demand for these bears. Joseph’s family time is now devoted to this new “invention” and there is no time for Coney Island much less his “regular” boyhood life of friends and frivolity.

Interspersed between the chapters that tell of Joseph and his family and friends comes the haunting story of the kids who live under the bridge. Karen Hesse writes of these somewhat mystical children in a different, almost poetic way. Theirs is a life of suffering and misery which includes their individual stories of horror, starvation, pain, and even death. The central character under the bridge is one known as the Radiant Boy who glides in like a phantom spirit and frightens the children as they know that when he comes and takes someone with him, the child never comes back. How these children relate to Joseph’s story is almost like a parallel universe in that Joseph doesn’t seem to even meet any of these kids or acknowledge their existence for the most part. Their connection to Joseph, however, is one that is subtly alluded to throughout the story but it isn’t until the end that the reader will see the significance of this story within the main story.

What is the connection between the kids under the bridge and Joseph? As for Coney Island, does Joseph ever get there? As you read this remarkable work by Karen Hesse, the answers to these and many more questions just may satisfyingly and incredibly be revealed. I recommend this as a perfect book for children 11 and older, as well as for adults who want to learn more about a time when our ancestors migrated to this country and settled in that magical place in New York known as Brooklyn. For those of us who know the area, the allure and magnificence of Coney Island and the wonderful Brooklyn Bridge will never cease to exist but rather be enhanced and remembered by reading Karen Hesse’s novel, Brooklyn Bridge.

Chris Sheban did the wonderful cover art and adds to this amazing book with his interior illustrations as well.
Submitted by Karen Haney, August, 2008
(less)

· see review

Dec 17, 2008

Jeanette rated it

Shelves: juv-middle-grade, 2008

I've been sitting on this book for awhile for many reasons, one of them being that I could not figure out what I wanted to say about it.
Joseph Mitchom is a 14 year old living in Brooklyn in 1903. The son of Russian immigrants his life changes, for what he considers the worse, when his parents invent the teddy bear, close their popular candy shop and turn their apartment into a bear making factory. All Joseph really wants is to go to Coney Island but his parent's are too busy making bears t...more

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 16 17 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (6)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

40 users

Young Adult

16 users

Childrens > Juvenile

7 users

Childrens

5 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

4 users

Young Adult > Teen

3 users

Family

3 users

New York

2 users

Book Club

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Karen Hesse

Karen Hesse is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings. Her novel Out of the Dust was the winner of the 1998 Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. In 2002, Hesse was a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/karen-hesse...

More about Karen Hesse...

Books by Karen Hesse

A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861 (Dear America)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Brooklyn Bridge

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Brooklyn Bridge
avg rating	preview: Brooklyn Bridge Goodreads rating: 3.51 (297 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3041813-brooklyn-bridge?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312026979m/3041813.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3041813-brooklyn-bridge?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse[/url]

Brooklyn Bridge

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combine Other Editions (6)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Karen Hesse

Books by Karen Hesse

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Brooklyn Bridge

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)