Brooklyn Bridge / Karen Hesse 229 p.

Set in 1903 Brooklyn, this is the story of 14-year-old Joseph Michtom (rhymes with victim!), whose parents have just invented the teddy bear. Joseph experiences this as a great misfortune, as his happy family life is now consumed by the family business and his friends are wary of his new-found wealth. Add to that the fact that he's the only boy in his neighborhood whose family hasn't taken a trip out to the brand-new Coney Island park and you've got real problems. Joseph's 'hard-luck' story is nicely balanced by vignettes of homeless children sheltering nearby under the bridge of the title. The audio reader, Fred Berman, was super, and the whole family enjoyed this one.