Tar Beach Memory and the Past Quotes

We're still in the past here, in Cassie's memories. The bridge was her most prized possession. That suggests it isn't her most prized possession anymore.

Hey, here's the clue that helps us know when the story takes place. Let's do the math: Cassie would've been eight years old in 1939.

Now, wait a second. Something crazy happens here. Daddy worked on the bridge in the past. Now—now—Cassie has claimed it. We're shifting tenses here, people.