56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bug and his buds, August 30, 2007
This is a fun book. It's a nice book to read a chapter at a time as a bedtime book, because nothing particularly stressful or traumatic happens. The chapters are reasonable short and benign. There is tension, there is some drama, there are rich characters struggling with their individual challenges. But there aren't many chapters ending on cliffhangers that will leave young readers or listeners feeling unsettled.
The strength of the book is the warm friendship between a displaced country cricket, a scheming but kind-hearted urban rodent, and an unflappable feline. There is also the human protagonist, Mario, a young boy who labors in Grand Central Station at his parent's newsstand. Mario's family dynamic, with the passive dad and the hard-boiled, derisive mother, sets up a nice juxtaposition. We see the sweet sap of childhood innocence standing its ground against a well-meaning but distrustful adult world.
I bought this book to read to my kids because I remember loving it so much as a little kid myself, both the book and the filmstrip adaptation, which I believe I can picture myself watching in an overcrowded mobile home that was functioning as a second grade classroom.
There's one distressing flaw to the book, which I don't remember from my own childhood because I wouldn't have noticed or cared at the time, but there is a part of the book that takes place in China Town, where it feels as if the story gets a dose of 1950's borcht belt race humor. The wise old Chinese man's dialect is achieved by switching every `R' into an `L.' As is "Vely solly." Since I was reading it to my kids, I just improvised a little and avoided doing the accent, but if an older kid is reading the book for themselves it merits a discussion. A little social-historical context.
That aside, we had a great time reading this book. The part I am asked to reread is when Chester Cricket, while dreaming that he is home eating leaves, waked up and realizes he's half-chewed through a two dollar bill borrowed from the newsstand register. There's brief panic and then excited brain-storming with his mammalian accomplices. As always, some credit goes to my unsubtle vocal performance, and I'm sorry, you can't buy that at Amazon. But it is funny stuff.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Cricket In Times Square Is Awesome!, February 28, 2001
A Kid's Review
The Cricket in Times Square is the first book in the series. It's about a cat named Harry, a mouse named Tucker, but it's mostly about a cricket named Chester. Chester lives in Connecticut. He was found by a lady who stuffs him in her purse. He gets carried all the way, to New York in a subway station. There's a family who sells newspapers in the subway station. And there's a boy who finds Chester and picks him up and buys a special golden cage with a bell that hangs down. Once Chester hears the bell he is able to sing. Then Chester has his own concert.
My favorite part is when Chester has his own little concert and he makes a lot of money because Chester makes beautiful music.
I would recommend this book and series to grade two to six because they are great fantasy stories about animals, but I would recommend them the most to people who like fantasy and animals.
By the way this book is the first book out of seven books. They're great books to read.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Cricket in Times Square is an outstanding book!, March 1, 1998
By A Customer
This book is about a cricket named Chester who finds his way to New York City in a picnic basket. Chester is originally from Connecticut. One day a little boy named Mario picks him up and takes him to an unsuccessful newstand located in the subway station of Times Square. This little creature is lucky enough to find two great friends. Their names are Tucker the fast talking broadway mouse, and his pal Harry the Cat. These friends have many great times such as; when Tucker manages to get the gang some scraps of food. But they also have some bad times, like when Chester dreams of a willow leaf, and eats a dollar bill, but all together they manage. These wonderful pals go on some more pretty great adventures, Chester even becomes a celebrity. Read the book to find out more!
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