In “Across the Pond”, author Storyheart , writes a coming of age tale about Fred Squire, a 15 year-old English boy. While his parents are enjoying a dream vacation for two that they won to Australia, Fred is being shipped off the States. Seated next to a woman that is continually asking questions and smells of garlic, he is worried about what to expect once he lands. After some minor mishaps his plane finally lands in New York. Meeting his parent’s friends Phil and Julie, he realizes that there is nothing to worry about. Making friends with their daughter, Brit who happens to be the same age, they soon embark on a journey that they will never forget. During a surprise outing to a ballgame Fred catches the 500th homerun ball hit by Braves player, Chipper Evans, who happens to be Brits favorite player. From there chaos ensues as eager fans surrounds them trying to buy the famous ball, they have to flee to the safety of the car. Meanwhile, Fred has to face the bully Harris, and his two minions, who have been terrorizing Brit and her girlfriends. After an altercation at the mall, and failing to get Brit to tell her parents about Harris, Fred takes matters into his own hand. Meeting Harris in an abandoned lot behind the mall a fight ensues between the two boys, with Fred defending the honor of the girl he has fallen in love with. Finally Brit tells her parents starting a chain reaction, which lands Harris in boot camp. With his journey coming to and end an unexpected visitor shows up.
Mr. Vic Anderson, who represents the Atlanta Braves comes calling for the ball, telling Fred to name his price. Working out a deal with Vic, Fred trades the ball for a surprise visit from Chipper Evans, for Brit. Earning the respect of Phil and Julie the arrange a trip for Brit to go to England at Christmas. In just a short time Fred has went from Squire to Knight.

With characters so lively you can find each one in your own hometown, Storyheart has written a tale that all teens will fall in love with. A definite homerun, with short chapters, quick-wit and believable situations that teens can relate to. With a brilliant blend of American and English this is a spot on book.

With hilarious language translation problems and a repeat performance by the garlic lady, you cannot go wrong with this book. Although it has mild language it is a perfect read for any young adult. Chocked full of teenage drama, new love, and tons of sports, this is a book for boys or girls. ( )

Reviewed by Lauren Ashley for TeensReadToo.com

ACROSS THE POND brings us the story of Englander Fred, who goes on vacation to the United States, where he stays with a family friend. This family has a daugther, Brit, who becomes quite attached to Fred, and vice versa.

However, when Fred learns something about Brit's past that she hasn't told anyone else, he decides that he has to do right by her and make sure the offender learns his lesson. During his stay in the U.S., Fred works on a project that focuses on the differences in the English language, which you find throughout the book.

This is a short, entertaining read. I liked Fred's character for the most part and enjoyed the mishaps he found himself in due to the language "barriers." His project was fun and I really liked seeing the various words and their meanings between the U.S. and England. It was exciting to see that I knew most of them, as well!!

However, I did have a slight problem with Brit. She's overly-emotional, and I felt that their relationship happened really fast. I like romance in books, and it worked okay for this story, but Fred's trip didn't seem long enough to fall that deeply "in love" with Brit.

But I'm sure it's happened and I know teens often have quick, fast relationships, so it's not a really big problem...just a thought I had at points in the story. ( )

Going to Australia for vacation is more than just a dream. If you get to go for free, it's just plain lucky! Unfortunately, the prize was only two tickets so while Fred Squire's parents are living it up, he is stuck to visit old friends in the States. While a British accent and using the word ‘love’ in normal conversation isn’t unusual where he lives, the girls in the United States can’t get enough of it! Falling in love with the American sport of baseball and the daughter of his dad’s friend at the same time can be tiring, but Fred doesn’t want to leave. How could two fourteen-year-olds stay in love if one of them has to go back across the pond?

This book was very predictable: boy falls for girl, boy must save girl from bully, and all put into a drama that just didn’t fit. The author sped through the scenes and left a bunch of space empty. The romance grew too quickly for me to imagine them actually being in love. In fact, it seemed like it was still in it’s first revision. I understand there would be a confusion over the slang words (being from different countries) but having Fred realize that on every page was too much. Fred was one-dimensional and couldn’t see past what was right in front of him. It was all inside-the-box. I wanted a more complete ending and wished I could enjoy at least one of the characters. But I wasn’t able to. They didn’t have any depth and the dialogue was the only part I truly liked about this book. ( )

Across the Pond is a story of an English boy who travels to America for a week while his parents vacation in Australia. While in America, Fred stays with friends of his parents and their daughter. Over the week of his stay Fred finds himself falling in love, along with multiple other adventures. The story is totally unbelievable. These teenagers fall into a trusting relationship in a matter of hours and Fred manages to fix a plaguing problem in his week stay. The characters and the conversations that take place are a little annoying. Cute but not mush else. ( )

Synopsis:

Fourteen-year-old Brit Fred Squire was not excited for his first visit to the US with his father's friends. Aside from a tiresome school assignment of compiling the Americanisms he comes across and their British equivalents, Fred is nervous about meeting Brittany, his host family's teenage daughter.

But from the moment they meet, it's clear that Fred and Brittany, a.k.a. "Brit", click. Brit makes Fred's Americanisms assignment fun. With their shared sense of humor, love of music and sports, the two become fast friends. Brit introduces Fred to life in America - the slang, the mall, her friends, American food, and baseball. Fred even helps Brit handle her one big fear. Before they realize it, the visit is over but hopefully, Fred and Brit's friendship won't be.

Review:

I really loved this book! Fred is funny, sympathetic and hugely likable. All the characters had well defined personalities and the writing was so fun that it took me a while to realize that the book is a romance. Across the Pond doesn't feel like a contemporary YA romance as much as an updated romance similar to Fifteen by Beverly Cleary. Each scene in the book is fun and diverting, and with Fred as the protagonist, I feel that people of all ages would enjoy Across the Pond.

I highly recommend Across the Pond to anyone looking for a light, fun read. I think that even young boys will enjoy the book's humor and plot. I'm passing on my copy to my nieces - and am sure that they'll enjoy this book as much I did!

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; 1st edition (September 25, 2008), 120 pages.
Courtesy of Bostick Communications. ( )