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dianie25's review
2.0
was a recommendation from a ***** bc he said it was one of his fav books as a kid. not a favorite low reading grade book for me, but i get the lesson that was taught.
refvemma's review
2.0
I had to read this for Mr Christopher's English 1 class book club, so it was a lower reading level on purpose. I think it could've been a low reading level and not been as dumb, though. The narration kept changing mid-paragraph, the characters weren't always consistent with how they talked, there were literally 3 lines of literary device that jumped out like wtf is this? Idk it was very choppy and uneven but the kids in the story learned a valuable lesson I guess.
nisanre's review
3.0
I am glad this book is in my Read 180 library for my lower-reader students. Although I think that this book could have done more showing and less telling, it is written in such a way that it would be very accessible to my lower readers. I enjoyed the story and especially liked the character of Barry.
mrsalane's review
3.0
I am glad this book is in my Read 180 library for my lower-reader students. Although I think that this book could have done more showing and less telling, it is written in such a way that it would be very accessible to my lower readers. I enjoyed the story and especially liked the character of Barry.
nerfherder86's review
3.0
Excellently written, just not my type of book. Two young men, best friends since childhood, decide to enter a boxing competition. They both need the prize money--the boxer's going to use it to help out his mother, who works two jobs to support them since her husband died. His friend, however, has a wealthy father, but he refuses to ask him for money to bail him out of a bad gambling debt. Most of the book is the nonboxing friend trying to talk his pal into entering the fight; the rest of it is the fight (it's actually a series of fights all in one day), and how all of this affects their friendship. Especially when the boxer learns what else his friend has been doing during the fights. It was a good sports book, really about friendship. My main complaint was that the point of view kept switching between the two boys. It was told in third person omnicient, but every other paragraph you'd suddenly be getting the thoughts and feelings of the *other* kid. Kind of disconcerting. If you're going to do that I prefer that it alternate by chapter; at least then you have some time to get into that character's head before having to yank yourself out and figure out what this other guy is feeling.
bookishundercover's review
4.0
I absolutely love this book. From the front porch all the way to the boxing ring. And the flashbacks throughout the story. It shows what he really deemed important. His motivation and dedication, it was amazing. But, I didn’t like his friend though. Overall, good book.
robk's review
4.0
great story of a friendship fraught with ups and downs. Saldana really brings life to the characters and endears them to his readers. The story deals with important themes like honesty, sacrifice, compassion, and of course, friendship. He positively wraps up the story while avoiding an overbearing didactic or moralistic tone. Very wonderful story.
burstnwithbooks's review
1.0
I started this book knowing basically nothing about it; just reading it because I have to read a YA sports genre from the library from the summer reading program. I did know it was about boxing, but after that, I had no idea the age. Immediately I thought they were 12, because they all acted like 10 year olds. However, I did eventually realize that the main character, Barry, is actually 18, so Alby also must be 17 or 18. This was extremely confusing and annoying. Basically, although the moral and idea of the story is fairly good (but it's still not my genre or idea of fun), the characters were shallow, poorly planned (not to mention there were a total of 5, relying heavily on 2), and immature, while the grammar and manner of speaking was just distracting, although somewhat realistic. I would recommend this book for 10-13 year old boys, or girls who really like boxing. A lot. Good luck.
charlottereadsbooks's review
4.0
friendship/sports/coming-of-age
Barry and Alby have been best friends since the first grade, and when Alby gets himself into a bit of trouble, he uses Barry's natural boxing talent to advantage; but in the process of doing so, Alby hurts their friendship and finds himself in a different, but more damaging kind of trouble. I thought this book was pretty good, especially for how short it was. You see the story from both Alby's and Barry's points of view, and in such a short book, the character development is thorough and the examined themes are poignant. I think this book would be an excellent read for young adults and would help them better understand the depth of honesty, friendship, and love.
Barry and Alby have been best friends since the first grade, and when Alby gets himself into a bit of trouble, he uses Barry's natural boxing talent to advantage; but in the process of doing so, Alby hurts their friendship and finds himself in a different, but more damaging kind of trouble. I thought this book was pretty good, especially for how short it was. You see the story from both Alby's and Barry's points of view, and in such a short book, the character development is thorough and the examined themes are poignant. I think this book would be an excellent read for young adults and would help them better understand the depth of honesty, friendship, and love.
rovertoak's review
4.0
Saldaña, Jr. has written a story about two guys who are good, genuine, young men navigating the ethics of friendship in this quick and satisfying read. Even if readers may feel like they have the ending all figured out, they won’t have all of it sewn up. Saldana conveys the deep emotional experiences of Alby’s and Barry’s working through the hurt of misused friendship especially well. It definitely took me by surprise and I felt the eyes swelling as the book headed toward its close. Add this to the list of good ”thin” books that would make great book-report reads, and to your lists of good books for guys!
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