Product Description

Dead Poets Society meets Stand By Me as 5 real 12- and 13-yr.-olds ride their bicycles 5,000 miles across America. They want to see if their country is as wonderful as their teacher says it is.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115040 in Books
• Published on: 1990-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

Review
"What if I rode my bike across America?" These kids were just like me, and I wondered if I could be so strong. I wondered if I would quit or keep pedaling because I promised I would. It was a giant decision with a lot of importance that these kids had to make. Could they do it? Would soggy, tasteless oatmeal push their aching legs through another town, around another bend, across another lonely mile? I wished that I was in those hot springs celebrating the end of my journey. I hoped I could say I'd lived off what could fit on my bike and nothing else but a dream . . . .

I really loved this book. Filled with places I wish I could visit and things I wish I could do, it took me to a magical place in my mind and heart. -- Taylor Rifkin, SBMS Review Spring 1996

I had read the book from cover to cover and was asked to review it. I glanced through to refresh my memory, meaning to just dip in and look at short passages. I began reading, was dragged under and continued reading for a half an hour. It is very similar to a fictional adventure novel, except it's real. The people in the group weather a tornado, ride through snow storms and extreme heat, yet still make it to their goal.

From reading this book I have learned about all kinds of people - country folk, city folk, blacks, whites, southerners, northerners . . . The book is a narrative in the first person about an experience that you probably not be able to have, but if your mom won't let you ride your bike across America, reading this book is the next best thing. -- Growing Without Schooling Volume 85

Were I teaching high school American Lit today, I would want my students to do a comparative study of Huckleberry Finn and Hey Mom . . . In both books the main characters journey into inner maturity, and their dealings with the people they meet along the way reflect at once the characters of both travelers and natives.

You've captured a poignant phase of life for both parent and child. No one can read without experiencing the age-old feelings of kids eagerly trying their wings and of parents painfully fretting.

Both you and Twain know how to keep a reader so eager to read the next chapter . . . an ability I could never teach. I read until 3 AM the day I received your book.

What an adventure! What a superior book! THANKS! -- Fran Measley, English Teacher July 1996

From the Author
goosebumps guaranteed.

From the Inside Flap
"Son, I wanna tell ya how much I admire what yer doin' there with them kids o' yers. Now I know ya haven't felt that comfortable bein' round me, shoot, it's written all over yer face, but I got to tell ya I think what y'all are doin' is the greatest damn bit of education I ever seen. Ain't no book learnin' or lecturin' that cain teach these kids what ya be teachin' them by bein' out on the road . . . meetin' folks white and black, takin' the time to stop and talk ta 'rednecks' like me, seein' where folks live and how they live . . . followin' the trails of ole wagon trains . . . Dammit, that's worth more than any piece of paper. That's what evra kid should be learnin'."

"Thank you, sir," I interrupted.

"Now don't y'all be thankin' me. I just wanna be sure that you and yer kids got enough ta eat and have some good membrances of Arkansas. I know we be different than y'all out in California, but I'm glad I got the chance to meet y'all and for my friends here to meet y'all too. Before ya leave, I want ya to promise old JC two things:

"First of all, I want ya to send me a postcard when y'all reach California."

"Shoot, I'll send you one before that."

"Nope, ya jus' listen to me now. I said I wanted ya to send me one from California and not before. You spend the rest of yer time on the road bein' on the road, not writin' me some silly postcard."

"Yes, sir."

"And second of all, I was damned impressed with yer bunch of kids. Y'all have done right well with them. Just promise me one more thing: y'all keep bein' good to each other. I cain tell ya've been good to each other so far, cuz I know what I sees and you got yerself one damn fine bunch of kids there . . . Ya jus' be sure ya keep bein' good to each other the rest of the way.

"Now , you bes' be gettin' outside now, and don't bother with no more thank yous . . . Ya got a bunch of kids and a good wife out there waitin' for ya so git goin'. I took too much of yer time up already. Have a good trip and remember, be good to each other."

Customer Reviews

You'll Remember This Story Forever
Every so often you read a book so surprisingly good, and which etches itself so indelibly in your mind, that you want to share it with everyone you know. Hey Mom is that book for me.

I came to this book looking for inspiration. Fifteen years (and two children) after my last bicycle tour, I needed something to restir and restore my travel spirit. Little did I know how much MORE than a simple travel book Hey Mom would be. It's a story of bonding into a family, of courage and guts, of growing up and of reaching arms out to hug our country. It's a supreme adventure, built mile by mile with stories of an America few of us ever experience first hand. It's a book with true soul and terrific characterizations of kids you can only grow to love. You'll be startled when, all of a sudden, you just CAN'T put this book down. When finished, you'll be in awe of how John Seigel-Boettner made a simple story about kids on bikes into a classic you'll remember forever.

Inspiring!
Scott Boettner's story is a first-rate adventure! A middle-school history teacher and bicycle enthusiast, Scott's dream was to bring America's people and history alive to his students. His passion for his career and his love for his students is evident throughout, as he and his wife boldly set out to traverse America's country roads by bike, accompanied by 5 of his students. It is a study of youth growing up, of kids pulling together, and of the power of an inspiring teacher, who emboldens his charges with the desire and strength to make it across America while enjoying every minute. As a middle school teacher myself, I understand the excitement of inspiring this age group to achieve. Scott's tale will make you believe in the spirit of America's youth.

Life experience is the real 'teacher'
TV and movies are fiction. This adventure is REAL! For anyone who has ridden their bike down the street and dreamed of where it might take them. Five kids, two adults and 5000 miles from sea to shining sea. I can't count the number of emotions I felt while reading this book. Ultimately, you will feel proud. Proud of John and Lynn for leading the kids to adulthood the best way they knew how. Proud of Heather, Joy, Carl, Rabbi Ethan, and James for completing such an ardous and worthwile task. And finally, proud of the good citizens and 'angels' of our country who helped them on their way.