Crickets can’t host their own concerts, right? And obviously they don’t like sausage, of course? Well, in the Newberry award winning book The Cricket in Times Square, the main character is a cricket that does both!

The author, George Selden, was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He made The Cricket in Times Square a great book full of adventure. When asked how he got such a good book, he said, “One night I was coming home on the subway, and I really did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station.”  He has also made 15 other books and 2 plays. The Cricket in Times Square was so good they made it a movie.

This story takes place in the hustle and bustle of the Times Square subway station in New York.

A subway station news stand

In this book, one of the characters is a cricket named Chester. Chester is very nice. He is friends with a mouse named Tucker. Although he is a mouse, he is very friendly, despite being a little stingy and living in a drain pipe. His best friend is a cat. Harry Cat is a nice feline who has a heart of gold, although he is sometimes sarcastic. He is a cat that lives on the streets. Harry Cat is friends with Tucker and Chester. Mario is a kind boy who is the son of the Bellini’s. He keeps Chester as his pet.

Follow the adventures of Mario, Chester, Tucker, and Harry Cat as Chester is introduced to the Big Apple. It all begins when a boy, who is helping his parents with their newsstand, hears Chester chirping one dark night. Then there is a problem: Chester eats a two-dollar bill, and from the Bellini’s, who hardly make 15 dollars in a week. With Mama Bellini plotting the next way she can attempt to kick him out of their tiny newsstand, Chester starts to play concerts for them. After that, the Bellini’s start to find out how good at music he really is. Then Chester does concerts for other people and he must play to a schedule. But will Chester really like playing so many concerts, whether he feels like it or not, every day? Read this pleasing book and find out.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden is an awesome and pleasing book. It is hilarious and yet sometimes sad. George Selden found the fine line between comedy and drama. The best part I can’t tell you, though. That would spoil the book. But I can tell you that the best character is Chester Cricket.

I have read this book and think that if you like stories that have animal characters, you will love The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. It is an awesome and heartwarming book. Check out this Newberry award winning book at your local library. If you like this book, check out the other books in the cricket series.