Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse.

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 in love, a death in the family, and much more during the summer he’s fourteen years old.

Hesse has created a novel filled with characters that are so well written they come to life.  Even the more extreme characters in the family ring true and have hidden complexities to them which are a treat to discover.  Joseph himself is a true teen with a certain focus on himself rather than his family.  It is when he faces hardship that his true character shines through.  Hesse’s voice as a writer is equally strong here with attention to period detail that make the setting as much a part of the story as the characters.  Never intrusive, her voice is a guiding light bringing the period to life for children who may have no knowledge of it.  Hesse has also blended humor, tragedy and a real family into this story.  One never knows quite where the book is heading because of her skillful writing, elevating what could have been a simple quiet story into something with dramatic tension that is hard to put down.

Highly recommended as great historical fiction that is very well-written and conceived, this book is appropriate for 10-13 year olds.  It would also work as a book to read aloud and discussed in a 5th or 6th grade classroom.