Across The Pond
Thanks to Harry Potter and other popular books, there appears to be much interest in England these days.  This is book is targeted towards a young adult or teen, but as a 47 year old adult I appreciated the Light & Easy read.  This is a romance and travel adventure of a teen boy that comes "across the pond" from England to America for an eye opening adventure.

 

His parents have won a trip to Australia and send their son to stay with their American friends.  As luck would have it the main character of this story, Fred, meets a young lady, a bully and an all American baseball hero on his short visit.  It is a feel good story where everyone that is good makes out well and the bad guys lose!

This is a book that I would readily recommend for all tweens, preteens and early teens.  I believe that it will appeal equally to boys as it would girls, even though it is labeled "romance" it is a well rounded story complete with school yard brawls and sports too!

One of the best features of the book , that was of most interest to me was the cultural comparisons.  The main character wants a video game console and in order to get that he has to complete a notebook with words that are different or objects that have different titles in each of the countries.  This is humorous and informative and the main reason my own 13 year old step-daughter wants to read it!

I am sure there will be a sequel to this story as the ending had a few possibilities, that hinted at "more to come."  The main character, Fred, is a great guy for young ones to relate too, he has a lot of fortitude and great character for a young man which is rare in today's society.  An example is set in this story for other youngsters without being "preachy."

 

Story Heart spins a good yarn and this book is no exception.   I believe that everyone will enjoy it and it could quite possibly be made into a movie or TV special!  Disney or Hallmark either one would like the components of it! Remember you read it here first!

Reviewed on 08/11/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member angela henley

Fifteen year-old Fred Squire is disappointed about being sent to the United States to stay with friends of his parents, Phil and Julie, over his vacation instead of going with his parents to Australia. However, when he gets to the airport, he gets nervous about meeting Phil and Julie and especially about their 15-year-old daughter, Brit. His worries are laid aside when he meets them, though. Fred immediately begins falling for Brit. He starts to think this trip might not be so bad after all.

Fred’s trip to the United States isn’t just about relaxing, though. He has a school project to work on. His school project consists of learning about a different culture and comparing it to his own. Throughout the book, Fred jots down differences in language that he comes across and makes a few notes about other differences he finds, like the fact that trainers (sneakers) cost less in the United States. He learns some new words as well as some old words that have new meanings, which lead to some embarrassing moments for both Fred and Brit. Fred learns about the differences in the two cultures by attending a barbeque, learning about baseball, and touring Boston. Fred also falls in love with Brit, meets her friends, has a run-in with the local bully, and going to a very important baseball game.

The whole different culture, different language thing was extremely interesting. I’ve read books where an American goes to a different country, but this is the first book I’ve read where the “foreign culture” was my own. It was fun seeing the United States through the eyes of a foreigner.

Across the Pond is a fun story about a boy’s first love. Like most teenagers, Fred is worried about fitting in and being accepted. He is baffled by the inner-workings of the female mind. He is an all-around nice guy who falls in love with Brit, who is a girl-next-door type of girl. The characters are all down-to-earth and realistic. They deal with typical teenage problems: love, bullies, and fitting in. Making it a great story for teens with characters and situations they can relate to.

Reviewed on 07/30/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Nicole Mahoney

Left with limited option while his parents took a vacation to Australia, Frederick (Fred) Squire decided to vacation in the United States with his parents friends. Not knowing what to expect Fred started his list (for a school project) right away he found that England and America both spoke English, but sometimes the differences could be embarrassing or it could get you in trouble. With the help of Phil, Julie and their daughter Brittany (Brit), he learned many new words and alternate meanings of some common words. Phil and Julie helped Fred be part of the family, meeting Brits friends helped him feel comfortable in a foreign land, hearing about her enemies made him have a purpose, finding a connection with Brit gave him a chance to feel like Sir Lancelot. The whole vacation was wrapped around Fred's visit with some fun outings scheduled for the whole family.

A short, sweet and innocent sort of romance (just kissing) between Fred and Brit. Sort of skipped some of the `getting to know each other' stuff. Felt rushed from arrival to big event, to the next big event, would have liked more detail at each of those events. More of the fun at the barbeque, or at the baseball game, even more of the interaction with Brits friends at the Mall. The baseball thing was a great way to really bring out more of the differences between England and America. While I don't like the idea of Fred fighting and Brit not being honest with her parents (coming from a parents point of view here), I am encouraged by her telling someone she trusted and that he was someone who wanted to protect the girls, do the right thing even if it could have been handled differently (kind of a moral to the story type of a thing). These are good characters that I would have enjoyed getting to know better, but for a pre-teen or early teen type of book it doesn't get bogged down with a bunch of unimportant information which could be good. Everything is important to those of this age and this book reflects that. Really enjoyed the ending (no spoilers here), it is a little predictable (got to know Fred well enough for that) but still makes a good point. It is left open for more, Fred's return to America or Brit venturing to England, a good adventure for the pair would be nice to see.

Reviewed on 07/17/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Debbie Berry

Reviewed on 07/12/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Arianna Grainey

"Across the Pond" can be described simply as:  Boy journeys across the pond.  Boy meets girl.  Boy gets girl.  Boy journeys back across the pond. 

Fred Squire finds himself traveling from England to America to stay with friends of his parents, while they take a vacation.  Fred is not happy that he is being essentially cast away so that his parents can enjoy a trip without him.  However, Fred is in for a rude awakening once he reaches his destination in America.  He meets Brittany and realizes the trip might not be so bad after all.  Fred's journey will take him on an adventure of barbeques, new friends, new enemies, and a baseball game that could change his life. 

I do not typically read books that are geared towards younger readers or young adults, but I am very glad that I decided to try this book.  It is very well written and kept me engaged to continue reading and finish it in one sitting.  It is a heartwarming story of teenage life, love, and angst, as seen by characters that live in different settings.  Yet, it is universal in its story, where anyone that reads it, will be able to relate to it.  It did not have the quality of being a book that was "too young" for me to read and I believe it will reach readers on every level.  I highly recommend this selection.

Reviewed on 07/11/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Johnson

In “Across the Pond”, author Storyheart , writes an coming of age tale about Fred Squire, a 15 year-old English boy. While his parents are enjoying a dream vacation for two that they one to Australia, Fred is being shipped off the States. Seated next to a woman that is continually asking questions and smells of garlic, he is worried about what to expect once he lands. After some minor mishaps his plane finally lands in New York. Meeting his parent’s friends Phil and Julie, he realizes that there is nothing to worry about. Making friends with their daughter, Brit who happens to be the same age, they soon embark on a journey that they will never forget. During a surprise outing to a ballgame Fred catches the 500^th homerun ball hit by Braves player, Chipper Evans, who happens to be Brits favorite player. From there chaos ensues as eager fans surrounds them trying to buy the famous ball, they have to flee to the safety of the car. Meanwhile, Fred has to face the bully Harris, and his two minions, who have been terrorizing Brit and her girlfriends. After an altercation at the mall, and failing to get Brit to tell her parents about Harris, Fred takes matters into his own hand. Meeting Harris in an abandoned lot behind the mall a fight ensues between the two boys, with Fred defending the honor of the girl he has fallen in love with. Finally Brit tells her parents starting a chain reaction, which lands Harris in boot camp. With his journey coming to and end an unexpected visitor shows up. 

Reviewed on 07/06/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons