Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Crunch
Leslie Connor · 2010
82/100
👍 Worth It
Connor threads a needle that very few middle-grade authors manage: she builds a speculative premise — America's gas pumps run dry — and then keeps the whole story warm, grounded, and about people rather than catastrophe. Twelve-year-old Dewey running a bike shop while his parents are stranded is the kind of premise that makes kids feel capable and seen. Kirkus, the Smithsonian, and the New York Public Library all recognized it for good reason.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety98
substance80
craft82
originality80
accuracy82
hype78
age-fit90
human-eye84
Penny’s verdict82
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