Join us in celebrating the launch of award-winning Hilton author's
new middle-grade novel. Author Bridget Krone will be in conversation with K
im Ward.
The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap (2022) is publi
shed by Catalyst Press (USA). From the award-winning author of Small Mercie
s, named a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews
“I’ve dec
ided that some people put out fires and leave the world cold and hopeless a
nd others nurse the kindling, blow like mad and fan the flames with whateve
r they have at hand so that everyone feels its warmth.”
A lot of thin
gs can feel just out of reach in 12-year-old Boipelo Seku’s small, impoveri
shed village of Cedarville, South Africa. The idea of one day living in a h
ouse that’s big enough for his family is just a faraway dream. But when Boi
stumbles on a story about a Canadian man who traded his way from a papercl
ip to a house, Boi hatches his own trading plan starting with a tiny clay c
ow he molded from river mud. Trade by trade, Boi and his best friend Potso
discover that even though Cedarville lacks so many of the things that made
the paperclip trade possible, it is fuller than either of them ever imagine
d.
In a chain of events that turns Boi’s tiny spark into a warming fi
re, Boi learns the power of friendship and community, and finds that someth
ing’s value isn’t in what you can trade for it, but in the good it brings t
o the people you love.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Star Selection
Advance Praise
“Bridget Krone has crafted a loving, funny story abo
ut a vibrant South African community where Boi’s bold dream of a big swap g
oes in all kinds of unexpected directions. When the threads are knit back t
ogether, they become a hymn of kindness and joy.” — Jane Kurtz, author and
winner of the 2022 IBBY-IREAD Outstanding Reading Promoter Award
“In
this humorous, optimistic tale, Krone explores the mutability of friendship
s and the perils of trying to hold on to them too strongly. […] A compellin
g look at friendship and community uplift under harsh circumstances.” —Kirk
us
“This novel is an engaging read with a satisfying ending … the the
me of grace ties everything together: when all seems an impossible knot, if
one keeps looking and persevering, the secret to untangling might click in
to view—a timely message for our world.” —Africa Access Review
BRIDGE
T KRONE is the author of two novels for children: Small Mercies (2020) and
The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap (September 2022). Small Mercie
s is the recipient of a 2022 Stepping Stones Honor Award, listed on the 202
1 Outstanding International Books List by the US Board on Books for Young P
eople, and Kirkus Reviews named it a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020. Former
ly an English teacher, Bridget currently works as a writer of English textb
ooks for South African schools, and writes novels between textbook commissi
ons. She lives in Hilton and is married with two grown-up sons.
KIM W
ARD lives in Hilton, but tries to get away to the Drakensberg mountains as
often as possible to hike and camp with her husband. When she is home, she
looks after her two sons and two sausage dogs and is a proofreader and edit
or. She received her English Honours at UKZN, her Masters in Environmental
Education from Rhodes University, and worked for WESSA as the Eco-Schools c
o-ordinator for 10 years. She was part of the organising team of the Midlan
ds Literary Festival in 2019 and 2020 and loves interacting with authors an
d reading books.
RSVP (Call or WhatsAp) Ian 0829333354 / Email: This email address is being pro
tected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Join us in celebrating the launch of award-winning Hilton author's
new middle-grade novel. Author Bridget Krone will be in conversation with K
im Ward.
The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap (2022) is publi
shed by Catalyst Press (USA). From the award-winning author of Small Mercie
s, named a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews
“I’ve dec
ided that some people put out fires and leave the world cold and hopeless a
nd others nurse the kindling, blow like mad and fan the flames with whateve
r they have at hand so that everyone feels its warmth.”
A lot of thin
gs can feel just out of reach in 12-year-old Boipelo Seku’s small, impoveri
shed village of Cedarville, South Africa. The idea of one day living in a h
ouse that’s big enough for his family is just a faraway dream. But when Boi
stumbles on a story about a Canadian man who traded his way from a papercl
ip to a house, Boi hatches his own trading plan starting with a tiny clay c
ow he molded from river mud. Trade by trade, Boi and his best friend Potso
discover that even though Cedarville lacks so many of the things that made
the paperclip trade possible, it is fuller than either of them ever imagine
d.
In a chain of events that turns Boi’s tiny spark into a warming fi
re, Boi learns the power of friendship and community, and finds that someth
ing’s value isn’t in what you can trade for it, but in the good it brings t
o the people you love.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Star Selection
Advance Praise
“Bridget Krone has crafted a loving, funny story abo
ut a vibrant South African community where Boi’s bold dream of a big swap g
oes in all kinds of unexpected directions. When the threads are knit back t
ogether, they become a hymn of kindness and joy.” — Jane Kurtz, author and
winner of the 2022 IBBY-IREAD Outstanding Reading Promoter Award
“In
this humorous, optimistic tale, Krone explores the mutability of friendship
s and the perils of trying to hold on to them too strongly. […] A compellin
g look at friendship and community uplift under harsh circumstances.” —Kirk
us
“This novel is an engaging read with a satisfying ending … the the
me of grace ties everything together: when all seems an impossible knot, if
one keeps looking and persevering, the secret to untangling might click in
to view—a timely message for our world.” —Africa Access Review
BRIDGE
T KRONE is the author of two novels for children: Small Mercies (2020) and
The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap (September 2022). Small Mercie
s is the recipient of a 2022 Stepping Stones Honor Award, listed on the 202
1 Outstanding International Books List by the US Board on Books for Young P
eople, and Kirkus Reviews named it a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020. Former
ly an English teacher, Bridget currently works as a writer of English textb
ooks for South African schools, and writes novels between textbook commissi
ons. She lives in Hilton and is married with two grown-up sons.
KIM W
ARD lives in Hilton, but tries to get away to the Drakensberg mountains as
often as possible to hike and camp with her husband. When she is home, she
looks after her two sons and two sausage dogs and is a proofreader and edit
or. She received her English Honours at UKZN, her Masters in Environmental
Education from Rhodes University, and worked for WESSA as the Eco-Schools c
o-ordinator for 10 years. She was part of the organising team of the Midlan
ds Literary Festival in 2019 and 2020 and loves interacting with authors an
d reading books.
RSVP (Call or WhatsAp) Ian 0829333354 / Email: This email address is being pro
tected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
