Covered Bridge

By Brian Doyle and Brian Doyle

Book Overview

In the latest comic novel by Canada's celebrated author Brian Doyle, Hubbo O'Driscoll, the enterprising hero of Easy Avenue, is learning to enjoy the pleasures of country life. But when the local covered bridge, home to a wayward ghost and her lovelorn postman, is threatened by development, Hubbo must devise a strategy to save it. Pitted against the forces of "progress" represented by builders Ovide Proulx and his wife, Prootoo, Hubbo and his inimitable dog, Nerves, search for a way to reconcile the old and the new. At the last minute, the unexpected help of Foolish Father Foley from Farrelton and a crazy goat ensures that Mushrat Creek continues to be a haven for all who love the past as well as the present.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0888991223
• ISBN13: 9780888991225
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Covered Bridge: It's Where my Grade Sevens are at!

This is the first I've read by Brian Doyle. "Covered Bridge" is written as a series of lighthearted anecdotes and reflections of a teenage boy who is trying to come to terms with the several strange and delightful characters of a small town in Quebec's Gatineau Hills, while at the same time trying to solve a mystery. The book also serves to introduce covered bridges as architectural and historical treasures, and illustrates very well how covered bridges become focal points for community identity and goodwill.I like the book for teaching purposes, because it is not overwhelming to Grade Sevens. The chapters are very short, and the language is accessible to the mind of a twelve-year-old. Doyle includes a fair amount of humor and a tinge of romance, but leaves the latter as a tantalizing backdrop to the entire story. Examples of character sketches and humorous anecdotes abound within the unfolding story, keeping the reader wondering just how strange this little town really is!Also available in paperback: Scholastic Books.