Bridge 6

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Kelly has two brothers. The oldest is Owen, a man who loves hockey,
cooking, and making rules. The other is Prunes, who chooses to live
homeless under Number 6 Railroad Bridge rather than submit to Owen’s
rules. Every Saturday during the winter Kelly, Owen, and a gang of local
folks from around town gather on the ice under Bridge 6 to play shinny
hockey with Prunes. Every game, Owen and Prunes get into an argument
about rules. One particular Saturday, when Prunes seemed extra grumpy,
he and Owen get into an argument that seems destined to end in disaster.
Prunes threatens that if he doesn’t get his way, he will leave town
forever. Owen does not want Prunes to leave, but he cannot give up his
beloved rules. Kelly suddenly realizes that if she does not find a way
to make both brothers happy, she may lose one or both of them for good.

Young readers will love this quirky tale about a long-simmering sibling
feud that suddenly boils over into comical confrontation. Jim McGugan
has created a world of wonderfully peculiar people who really love each
other yet drive each other crazy. Judith Christine Mills’s beautifully
detailed illustrations reek of cooking smells, river ice, and sweaty old
hockey jerseys. Each panel adds a further layer of offbeat humor to the
mix. Highly recommended.