If getting tackled is the best way to make new friends, that’s okay with Jack. After all, starting fifth grade at a new school is even rougher than pee-wee football. But how can he join the Lions and help Ellison build the Most Epic Bookmobile Bike Ever? Jack devises the perfect game plan–until he fumbles it with the most epic bike crash ever and a game day disaster.Can Jack recover his friendship with Ellison?And can God use a playing field or a moving library to build understanding and foster forgiveness?Adventures, friendships, and faith-testers . . . all under the watchful eye of a great big God.The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine, but their 1990s suburban neighborhood is more than just quiet, tree-lined streets. Jack, Ellison, Roger, and Ruthie face challenges and find adventures in every creek and cul-de-sac—as well as God’s great love in one small neighborhood.In the book series, set in the 1990s in the suburbs of Chicago, Amanda Cleary Eastep invites kids to be part of a group of friends who face challenges that don’t extend too far beyond the borders of their neighborhood.By engaging readers’ imaginations, her hope is that they will laugh, learn, and grow in their faith right along with the Tree Street Kids and their families. The opportunity for diverse friendships may not have been as common in the suburbs in the ’90s as they are today, but Amanda wants to encourage kids, wherever they live, to be open to having friendships that reflect the diversity of the Creator.Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she’s still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grown-up authors.Amanda’s children’s writing has been published in Ladybug, The Friend, Sunday school curriculum, and at Story Warren. As a longtime writer, she’s contributed to Christianity Today, Think Christian, and many other print and online publications. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she leads writing workshops at her local teen center.Learn more about her books at https://treestreetkids.com (https://treestreetkids.com)Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com (https://boardwalkplaza.com)Feedback, or Show Ideas? Send an email to podcast@wearethebridge.org (mailto:podcast@wearethebridge.org)Download The Bridge Mobile App (https://www.wearethebridge.org/station/take-the-bridge-with-you/) to get the latest podcast episodes as soon as they are published!