Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country [Paperback]

John S. Boettner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

Dead Poets Society meets Stand By Me as 5 real 12- and 13-yr.-olds ride their bicycles 5,000 miles across America. They want to see if their country is as wonderful as their teacher says it is.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What if I rode my bike across America?" These kids were just like me, and I wondered if I could be so strong. I wondered if I would quit or keep pedaling because I promised I would. It was a giant decision with a lot of importance that these kids had to make. Could they do it? Would soggy, tasteless oatmeal push their aching legs through another town, around another bend, across another lonely mile? I wished that I was in those hot springs celebrating the end of my journey. I hoped I could say I'd lived off what could fit on my bike and nothing else but a dream . . . .

I really loved this book. Filled with places I wish I could visit and things I wish I could do, it took me to a magical place in my mind and heart. -- Taylor Rifkin, SBMS Review Spring 1996

I had read the book from cover to cover and was asked to review it. I glanced through to refresh my memory, meaning to just dip in and look at short passages. I began reading, was dragged under and continued reading for a half an hour. It is very similar to a fictional adventure novel, except it's real. The people in the group weather a tornado, ride through snow storms and extreme heat, yet still make it to their goal.

From reading this book I have learned about all kinds of people - country folk, city folk, blacks, whites, southerners, northerners . . . The book is a narrative in the first person about an experience that you probably not be able to have, but if your mom won't let you ride your bike across America, reading this book is the next best thing. -- Growing Without Schooling Volume 85

Were I teaching high school American Lit today, I would want my students to do a comparative study of Huckleberry Finn and Hey Mom . . . In both books the main characters journey into inner maturity, and their dealings with the people they meet along the way reflect at once the characters of both travelers and natives.

You've captured a poignant phase of life for both parent and child. No one can read without experiencing the age-old feelings of kids eagerly trying their wings and of parents painfully fretting.

Both you and Twain know how to keep a reader so eager to read the next chapter . . . an ability I could never teach. I read until 3 AM the day I received your book.

What an adventure! What a superior book! THANKS! -- Fran Measley, English Teacher July 1996

From the Author

goosebumps guaranteed.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Sbf Productions (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962570761
• ISBN-13: 978-0962570766
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Remember This Story Forever, September 4, 2000

By 

Richard Vallens ([e-mail]) (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country (Paperback)

Every so often you read a book so surprisingly good, and which etches itself so indelibly in your mind, that you want to share it with everyone you know. Hey Mom is that book for me.

I came to this book looking for inspiration. Fifteen years (and two children) after my last bicycle tour, I needed something to restir and restore my travel spirit. Little did I know how much MORE than a simple travel book Hey Mom would be. It's a story of bonding into a family, of courage and guts, of growing up and of reaching arms out to hug our country. It's a supreme adventure, built mile by mile with stories of an America few of us ever experience first hand. It's a book with true soul and terrific characterizations of kids you can only grow to love. You'll be startled when, all of a sudden, you just CAN'T put this book down. When finished, you'll be in awe of how John Seigel-Boettner made a simple story about kids on bikes into a classic you'll remember forever.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, January 13, 2000

By 

D Wightman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country (Paperback)

Scott Boettner's story is a first-rate adventure! A middle-school history teacher and bicycle enthusiast, Scott's dream was to bring America's people and history alive to his students. His passion for his career and his love for his students is evident throughout, as he and his wife boldly set out to traverse America's country roads by bike, accompanied by 5 of his students. It is a study of youth growing up, of kids pulling together, and of the power of an inspiring teacher, who emboldens his charges with the desire and strength to make it across America while enjoying every minute. As a middle school teacher myself, I understand the excitement of inspiring this age group to achieve. Scott's tale will make you believe in the spirit of America's youth.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life experience is the real 'teacher', July 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country (Paperback)

TV and movies are fiction. This adventure is REAL! For anyone who has ridden their bike down the street and dreamed of where it might take them. Five kids, two adults and 5000 miles from sea to shining sea. I can't count the number of emotions I felt while reading this book. Ultimately, you will feel proud. Proud of John and Lynn for leading the kids to adulthood the best way they knew how. Proud of Heather, Joy, Carl, Rabbi Ethan, and James for completing such an ardous and worthwile task. And finally, proud of the good citizens and 'angels' of our country who helped them on their way.