Schroeder, Lisa. The Bridge from Me to You. New York: Scholastic, 2014.

I finally got to read it! This lovely coming of age story was well worth the wait. Lauren, the new girl in town, and Colby, the football star, meet by chance at the local food mart and bond over Lauren’s love of bugles. And so their story begins. Lauren who is living with her aunt and uncle’s family is haunted by the memory of her baby brother and the mother she has left behind. Colby must deal with the career ending football injury of his best friend and the knowledge he has that beyond high school, he is really not interested in playing football. But, because his dad has such high expectations, he must really focus, to the point that he can’t pursue a serious relationship with Lauren. As they remain “just friends,” they learn to support and love each other, sharing their fears and secrets. Lauren is learning how to be in a loving and well adjusted family as well. One of my favorite moments in the books is when she is learning how to bake with her Aunt Erica. Lauren notes of her pie, “One minute,/a lonely,/empty shell./The next, with just the right mix/ of ingredients and special care, a sweet, sweet pie./ I think there is a lesson/to be learned there/somewhere.” Beautiful metaphor, yes?

Perhaps I am influenced by my own love of baking. I turned to cupcake creations as my nest was emptying. I certainly found a sense of peace and sweetness in the process. I also love the whole idea of the bridges and Colby’s fascination with them. His grandma expresses his love of them: “I’ve always thought a bridge is like a good friend, holding its hand out to help you along on the more difficult parts of your journey.” So nice.

But what will the kids relate to? Certainly they will understand Colby’s fear of disappointing his father - his hesitation in sharing his future plans. The will relate to Lauren’s desire to please a mother, who doesn’t necessarily take very good care of her - her loyalty that is not in her own best interests. They will cheer these kids along just like the folks in this fictional town cheer for their football team.

The girls in the library are already drawn to Schroeder’s works that are in verse. Some kids like them because they consider them “reader friendly” (short). And still others respond to the figurative language and lyrical quality that just seems so effortless. One of the neat things about this title is that Lauren’s chapters are in verse, and Colby’s are in prose. This technique really helps to strengthen the individual voices of these characters as they grow closer together. I won’t really have to sell this book as Lisa Schroeder already has quite a following in our school. But I am so glad I took the time to read it, so my students and I can talk about it together. I just love the opportunity to reinforce whenever I can that things can always look better; that its important to be honest with yourself and others; that out of much pain can come much joy and growth.