by Karen Hesse
First published 2008
Joseph Michtom is fourteen when his Russian immigrant parents invent the teddy bear in 1903. The toy's success transforms his family forever. Gone are the relaxed evenings around the kitchen table. Gone are his carefree games of stickball. Instead of enjoying summer vacation at Coney Island, Joseph must work in the family business and watch his two-year-old brother while his sister helps too. He complains, falls in love, argues with his parents, and dreams of returning to simpler times. Everyone tells him he should feel grateful for their good fortune. Meanwhile, forgotten children gather each night under the Brooklyn Bridge. These lost souls sleep and talk in the shadows, invisible to the bustling city above. Joseph's story weaves together with theirs as he grows up in a world suddenly changed by success. The novel explores how quickly life can shift and how family bonds stretch but endure through transformation.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island
Period: 1903
Audio CD · Macmillan Young Listeners