The+Cricket+In+Times+Square



Review by Gabrielle Berube

// The Cricket in Times Square // by George Selden Publisher: Dingles/ Treehouse Court, 2007 Language: English Reading Level: Grades 3-5 ISBN: 0440228891
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Paperback, 176 pages

Born in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Yale University, where he joined the Elizabethan Club and the literary magazine, and graduated with a B.A. in 1951. He also attended Columbia University for three summers. After Yale, he studied for a year in Rome on a Fulbright Scholarship from 1951 and 1952. Selden is best known as the author of several books about the character Chester Cricket and his friends, Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. The first book, //The Cricket in Times Square//, was a Newbery Honor Book in 1961. Selden explained the inspiration for that book as follows: > "One night I was coming home on the subway, and I did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station. The story formed in my mind within minutes. An author is very thankful for minutes like those, although they happen all too infrequently." >  In 1974, under the pseudonym of Terry Andrews, Selden wrote the adult novel //The Story of Harold,// the story of a bisexual children's book author's various affairs, friendships, and mentoring of a lonely child, using the fairy tale of Rumplestilskin as an allegory. The book is very descriptive of the seventies, including the sexual revolution. Moderately graphic scenes of sado-masochism, orgies and other sexual acts, are narrated by Terry, the book's protagonist. It could be construed as somewhat autobiographical in the sense the author writes of a character who writes children's books. The relationship to the boy and also the author's own feelings regarding his own existence are the main keys in this novel. Selden remained unmarried; a resident of Greenwich Village in New York City, he died there at age 60 from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
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This Newbery Honor Book tells the story of Chester, a cricket from Connecticut, and his friendship with a little boy named Mario, a mouse named Tucker, and a cat named Harry in New York's Times Square. Chester, a musical cricket from rural Connecticut, finds himself transported (via a picnic basket) to the grit and grime of New York City. When Mario Bellini, a boy from the neighborhood, finds Chester, he raises the insect as his own. Chester soon meets Mario's animal friends, Tucker and Harry, and learns about life on the streets. And when Mario's parents are faced with the bankruptcy of their subway newsstand, the friends try to come up with a plan to save it from disaster.
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This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. I used to monopolize it in the library and I have my own copy on my shelves at home now. This is a great book for students who enjoy reading or for parents/teachers to read to their children/students. The story is captivating and kids fall in love with the characters (a cricket, a mouse and a cat!) This is an amazing book that discusses friendships and home. Plus it has a beautiful Newberry Medal on the cover.
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This book utilizes several themes/subjects that are relevant to children whom the targeted audience aged. The book discusses change and new experiences, loyalty, friendships and helping others. All of these subjects are concepts that can easily be built upon in a classroom setting.
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