CRUNCH by Leslie Connor (Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins, 2010, $16.99 available April 27, 2010) is a delightful family story set in the possible future. Dewey Mariss is in the middle of a crunch. Dewey along with his sister, immediately younger brother and pre-school twins have been left at home while his parents are stuck with an empty gas tank up north. The country is experiencing its first gas shortage and the future is looking rather grim.
Dewey has been left in charge of the family business, The Bike Barn. Older sister Lil has been accepted as a student at an art class for the summer so Dewey and his brother Vince are very busy. Seems everyone is using bikes now that gasoline is impossible to obtain. Add a mysterious old codger neighbor, a helper who shows up one day, two policemen and a set of impetuous twins and the plot is off and running, or should I say pedaling.
The parents call in everyday to check on the family. The shop becomes very busy and soon Dewey discovers someone has been pilfering the shop. The sister’s summer class is cancelled so she decides to paint her summer mural project on the barn side, add customers galore and one has the ingredients for a fun filled adventure.
Author Connor is a master plot manipulator who gets readers quickly involved. As the plot gets more and more involved the lifelike characters with their distinct personalities come alive on the pages. There is even a hint at a budding romance at The Bike Barn. I know I would love to meet this family again as the children grow and get involved with life.