โ Scribed by Todd Tucker
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Starred Review Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson are best friendsโno, not the dead presidents! This Tom and Andy are 14-year-old boys whose last names are Kruer and Gray, respectively. Living in the hills of Southern Indiana, these boys have been chums since infancy. Why, theyโre tighterโn grandmaโs girdle, but now, in the summer of 1979, their friendship is about to be tested. The Borden Casket Company, where their fathers both work, is going on strike, and Andyโs dad is management, while Tomโs is labor. Worse, Tomโs cousin gets involved in an act of vandalism that goes fatally wrong. And whatโs the big secret that Andyโs Mom and the handsome local sheriff share? Tuckerโs first novel is a classic coming-of-age story filled with the kind of nostalgic adolescent adventure that is the genreโs sometimes overly familiar hallmark. But the setting is gracefully realized, the real-world intrusions of the strike are nicely integrated into the plot, and both boys are as likable as Labrador pups. Who could ask for anything more? --Michael Cart
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 Andyโs dad is a manager and Tomโs dad is a union laborer has no bearing on their fun and adventure.
But in the building summer heat, violence quickly erupts---including an explosion, a murder, and the escape of two fugitives---and the young boys can no longer ignore that the world around them has forever changed. Through their secret observations of labor meetings, both boys feel the effect of the dissolution, and it tests their loyalty and friendship, as well as the town's spirit.
What began as a season of independence becomes a summer of growth and change, of adventure and misbehavior. Reminiscent of Stand by Me and To Kill a Mockingbird, Over and Under is the quintessential story of ruddy-faced, scheming, precocious boys who must navigate that hazy boundary between growing up and making the most of their last summer of innocence and freedom as they explore the wilds of rural Indiana, see the most amazing gunshot of their lives, and discover what it means to be friends.
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
### From Booklist *Starred Review* Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson are best friendsno, not the dead presidents! This Tom and Andy are 14-year-old boys whose last names are Kruer and Gray, respectively. Living in the hills of Southern Indiana, these boys have been chums since infancy. Why, theyr
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter s sn
In this gorgeous companion to the acclaimed Over and Under the Snow and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal bring to life a secret underwater world. In this book, readers will discover the plants and animals that make up the rich, interconnected ecosystem o
Ricky is a street kid - sharp, quick and usually up to no good. When he tries to steal from the wrong people, he is saved by a mysterious man called Felix who makes Ricky a compelling offer: a flat and a hundred pounds a week. All he has to do is take lessons from Felix. Soon Ricky finds himself l
"I DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU CHILDREN WOULD BE THE ONES TO FIND IT. OR WHAT DANGER YOU WOULD BE PUTTING YOURSELVES IN." Throughout time, the forces of good and evil have battled continuously, maintaining the *balance*. Whenever evil forces grow too powerful, a champion of good is called to drive them b