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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
It's six months in the life of Julian Twerski---a very bright young man in 1969.
My Take
It's good. I love the flow of Goldblatt's writing, and he really captures the mind of a twelve-year-old. It's a structured stream of consciousness as Julian writes what he thinks of his teacher, his task, and his own actions. Actions that will have a far-reaching effect on his future and his becoming a man.
You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll shake your head. Some of it will bring back memories of your own.
It was slow to get started, but once I got a third of the way in or so, things perked up and the reading just flew by. It was so perfectly a boy's childhood with the playing, the pranks, the worries, the sister, the mishaps. And boys who are easily led.
For the most part, the boys are good kids. Sure they get up to mischief, but that Lonnie… He's a bit of a bad boy with too much charisma and leads the boys into devilry. The consequences of which seem to slide right off him. Maybe it's those minyans he keeps getting dragged off to, LOL.
Oh man, Cyrano de Bergerac has a lot to answer for. And so does Lonnie, asking his friend to do such a thing for him. That love letter was a good effort on Julian's part, and it does at least further his friendship with a good kid.
I do love Julian's insights into Shakespeare, and how he relates his lessons to his own life. How a guy can hurt his friend by doing the right thing. That, in the long run, no one will ever know or remember Julian Twerski, that he's a quintessence of dust.
Julian is a good kid, introspective, and with a good heart. Once he quiets down away from Lonnie and his influence. he's smart and discovering an appreciation for writing.
The Story
A vicious little prank finds Julian paying for his part in it by writing a journal. It might grant him relief from Julius Caeser while Mr. Selkirk is hoping he reflects on his actions.
Typical kidstuff, back in the day before kids had to be wrapped up in cotton wool...however, did the human race survive...*grin*...
The Characters
Julian Twerski is twelve years old and hangs with his friends—mostly in Ponzini, an empty lot behind an apartment building.
His friends include Lonnie Fine, the leader of their gang and Julian's best friend; Quick Quentin is a bit slow; Eric the Red (it's his hair); Howie "Wartnose" Wurtzberg; Shlomo Shlomo (his mama…); and, Bernard and Beverly Segal---brother and sister. Bernard is "a waste of human ingredients" while Howie is in love with his sister.
I think his sister Amelia has it right about Julian. The Dongs are the Chinese couple who own the house where Julian's family rent the upstairs. Mrs. Fine is a concentration camp survivor while Mr. Fine owns a candy store.
Stanley "Danley" Stimmel is slow and attends a special school. Victor Ponzini is a year younger and unliked. Partly because he's a squealer. Jillian Rifkin is new to school and absolutely gorgeous. On the outside. Her dad is a great guy---just ask Eduardo, the Guatemalan fútbol player and orphan he takes in, who is a threat to Julian. Devlin is an obnoxious fourteen-year-old who mows lawns. Willie is another runner at school, almost fast enough to beat Julian.
Mr. Selkirk is his English teacher. Mr. Caricone is the student teacher for Mr. Loeb's social studies class. Mr. Greetham is the coach.
The Cover
The cover is an egg in your face against a red background...and the truth behind how Julian feels, he's a Twerp for having done as he did.
My Take
It's good. I love the flow of Goldblatt's writing, and he really captures the mind of a twelve-year-old. It's a structured stream of consciousness as Julian writes what he thinks of his teacher, his task, and his own actions. Actions that will have a far-reaching effect on his future and his becoming a man.
You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll shake your head. Some of it will bring back memories of your own.
It was slow to get started, but once I got a third of the way in or so, things perked up and the reading just flew by. It was so perfectly a boy's childhood with the playing, the pranks, the worries, the sister, the mishaps. And boys who are easily led.
For the most part, the boys are good kids. Sure they get up to mischief, but that Lonnie… He's a bit of a bad boy with too much charisma and leads the boys into devilry. The consequences of which seem to slide right off him. Maybe it's those minyans he keeps getting dragged off to, LOL.
It was as if one pigeon took it into its head that the far end of Ponzini would be a good place to rest for a minute, and then the entire air force joined in.
Oh man, Cyrano de Bergerac has a lot to answer for. And so does Lonnie, asking his friend to do such a thing for him. That love letter was a good effort on Julian's part, and it does at least further his friendship with a good kid.
I do love Julian's insights into Shakespeare, and how he relates his lessons to his own life. How a guy can hurt his friend by doing the right thing. That, in the long run, no one will ever know or remember Julian Twerski, that he's a quintessence of dust.
Julian is a good kid, introspective, and with a good heart. Once he quiets down away from Lonnie and his influence. he's smart and discovering an appreciation for writing.
The Story
A vicious little prank finds Julian paying for his part in it by writing a journal. It might grant him relief from Julius Caeser while Mr. Selkirk is hoping he reflects on his actions.
Typical kidstuff, back in the day before kids had to be wrapped up in cotton wool...however, did the human race survive...*grin*...
The Characters
Julian Twerski is twelve years old and hangs with his friends—mostly in Ponzini, an empty lot behind an apartment building.
His friends include Lonnie Fine, the leader of their gang and Julian's best friend; Quick Quentin is a bit slow; Eric the Red (it's his hair); Howie "Wartnose" Wurtzberg; Shlomo Shlomo (his mama…); and, Bernard and Beverly Segal---brother and sister. Bernard is "a waste of human ingredients" while Howie is in love with his sister.
I think his sister Amelia has it right about Julian. The Dongs are the Chinese couple who own the house where Julian's family rent the upstairs. Mrs. Fine is a concentration camp survivor while Mr. Fine owns a candy store.
Stanley "Danley" Stimmel is slow and attends a special school. Victor Ponzini is a year younger and unliked. Partly because he's a squealer. Jillian Rifkin is new to school and absolutely gorgeous. On the outside. Her dad is a great guy---just ask Eduardo, the Guatemalan fútbol player and orphan he takes in, who is a threat to Julian. Devlin is an obnoxious fourteen-year-old who mows lawns. Willie is another runner at school, almost fast enough to beat Julian.
Mr. Selkirk is his English teacher. Mr. Caricone is the student teacher for Mr. Loeb's social studies class. Mr. Greetham is the coach.
The Cover
The cover is an egg in your face against a red background...and the truth behind how Julian feels, he's a Twerp for having done as he did.
adeselnaferreira's review against another edition
2.0
**ARC provided by Netgalley
This is going to be a really hard review to write because I read this book in the POV of if I was the editor and there are a couple of things that I'd have suggested to be done differently.
Julian is a 12-year-old that got suspended for something he has done. His teacher tasks him with writing an assignment about what happened so he can escape another assignment.
"Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake." but is that the truth?
My biggest issue with this novel is that - it is not for kids and it is not written for adults either. It is stuck in a limbo. The plot doesn't go anywhere for the majority of the novel and I see adults understanding it, being a little slow, but I don't see why a middle-grader would read this with interest. The life of a 12-year-old boy is as uninteresting as it sounds like, plus the boy, Julian, only talks about what happened in the last two chapters. That is just cruel. It is also not a plot twist because you can see it coming.
Personally, as an adult, I couldn't enjoy most of it because it is written in first-person POV and the kid lacks a clear moral understanding of things. As a reader you don't really get Julian to be introspective, you get him being biased and an immature kid. And as a reader, I couldn't care about him. I feel this novel needed to be for adults where we could explore Julian's psyche, why he did some things, and why he felt that way, but we just gloss over a lot of things that could be more in-depth.
Overall I felt the plot needed different things, it has a beginning and an end, which are the best parts of the novel but the middle goes nowhere for a while - a lot of nothings happen, and only three events give a hint to the reader about what happens. He says he's not a bad kid - not a bully and then he does some bad things one, which will get him suspended and I feel it gets really glossed over. Sometimes Julian is an immature kid other times kids are praising him for being nice and calm. These two sides of him are not developed any further - the things happen and then the scene is over. He does a bad thing - next chapter he's being a "good guy", and there is no time to reflect or plot action points that make you establish a connection with him because in each chapter he can be a different person.
This is not the first time I've read books with this structure- where not a lot happens and then the plot hits you at the end. I'm not a big fan of those, but that is personal - I feel really sad because that's the good part and then the book is over! Here's the twist that makes this all make sense, goodnight and goodbye!
The novel never addresses the theme of bullying specifically, it glosses over a lot of important topics that perhaps should have been discussed with more care.
This is going to be a really hard review to write because I read this book in the POV of if I was the editor and there are a couple of things that I'd have suggested to be done differently.
Julian is a 12-year-old that got suspended for something he has done. His teacher tasks him with writing an assignment about what happened so he can escape another assignment.
"Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake." but is that the truth?
My biggest issue with this novel is that - it is not for kids and it is not written for adults either. It is stuck in a limbo. The plot doesn't go anywhere for the majority of the novel and I see adults understanding it, being a little slow, but I don't see why a middle-grader would read this with interest. The life of a 12-year-old boy is as uninteresting as it sounds like, plus the boy, Julian, only talks about what happened in the last two chapters. That is just cruel. It is also not a plot twist because you can see it coming.
Personally, as an adult, I couldn't enjoy most of it because it is written in first-person POV and the kid lacks a clear moral understanding of things. As a reader you don't really get Julian to be introspective, you get him being biased and an immature kid. And as a reader, I couldn't care about him. I feel this novel needed to be for adults where we could explore Julian's psyche, why he did some things, and why he felt that way, but we just gloss over a lot of things that could be more in-depth.
Overall I felt the plot needed different things, it has a beginning and an end, which are the best parts of the novel but the middle goes nowhere for a while - a lot of nothings happen, and only three events give a hint to the reader about what happens. He says he's not a bad kid - not a bully and then he does some bad things one, which will get him suspended and I feel it gets really glossed over. Sometimes Julian is an immature kid other times kids are praising him for being nice and calm. These two sides of him are not developed any further - the things happen and then the scene is over. He does a bad thing - next chapter he's being a "good guy", and there is no time to reflect or plot action points that make you establish a connection with him because in each chapter he can be a different person.
This is not the first time I've read books with this structure- where not a lot happens and then the plot hits you at the end. I'm not a big fan of those, but that is personal - I feel really sad because that's the good part and then the book is over! Here's the twist that makes this all make sense, goodnight and goodbye!
The novel never addresses the theme of bullying specifically, it glosses over a lot of important topics that perhaps should have been discussed with more care.
mary00's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. It put me in mind a bit of Gary Schmidt's OK For Now, which is one of my favorites.
This book would provide some great discussion material for pre-teens / young teens. It is much deeper than a quick surface reading would indicate, and gets into a lot of juicy material for kids that age (and adults, frankly).
My one and only issue with the book is that I felt that the narrator/protagonist, who is supposedly a 12 year old sixth grader, sounded much more mature than any sixth grade boy that I know (and I have a sixth grader, so I know a lot of them). It is often noted that the narrator is very gifted and intelligent for his age, but even with that piece of information I still felt that the voice was closer to a 14 or 15 year old, personally. The fact that he was supposedly only 12 bothered me and upset the flow of the narrative for me on multiple occasions. Regardless, I still love it and easily give it 4 stars.
This book would provide some great discussion material for pre-teens / young teens. It is much deeper than a quick surface reading would indicate, and gets into a lot of juicy material for kids that age (and adults, frankly).
My one and only issue with the book is that I felt that the narrator/protagonist, who is supposedly a 12 year old sixth grader, sounded much more mature than any sixth grade boy that I know (and I have a sixth grader, so I know a lot of them). It is often noted that the narrator is very gifted and intelligent for his age, but even with that piece of information I still felt that the voice was closer to a 14 or 15 year old, personally. The fact that he was supposedly only 12 bothered me and upset the flow of the narrative for me on multiple occasions. Regardless, I still love it and easily give it 4 stars.
domarisdione's review against another edition
4.0
A lively book with a well-developed narrative voice. It felt authentic and dealt well with a couple of tough childhood topics.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
3.0
Not the worst treatment of bullying, but not the best either. I didn't like the main character, especially after learning more about him, in the beginning. While Julian did some growing through the story, I didn't like the ending very much. I think it's important to remember that even bullies (and bully toadies) are more than just their mean actions, but I don't think the subject was handled as well as it could have been.
A free copy was given in exchange for an honest review.
A free copy was given in exchange for an honest review.
moopsydoopsy's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
reba_reads_books's review against another edition
1.0
Mostly one-dimensional, unlikeable characters. The main character is completely oblivious 99% of the time, and 1% of the time he does awful things in blood-curdling rages... despite a novel-length journal assignment in which he's supposed to do self-reflection, he never reflects on his anger. At the end If the moral of the story was anti-bullying, it totally missed the mark.
Spoiler
he apologized to the kid he assaulted out of guilt and for an English grade.lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
This sharp-eyed, clever book is both a nostalgic look back at a boyhood in 1969 Queens, New York and a peek inside the heart and mind of a smart, decent kid who made some not-so-smart decisions. As Julian writes in a journal -- a punishment of sorts for his part in a prank that turned ugly -- he explores what it means to be a good kid and comes to terms with the sometimes unintended consequences of his actions. While we don't find out the details until the end of the book, it's clear that Julian can't get thoughts of what happened out of his mind or off his conscience. Through it all, he explores his feelings about his friends, his status at school, troubles with girls, and the big-picture challenge of growing up and -- as symbolized by his bar mitzvah studies -- becoming a man.
Twerp is well-written, and it's easy to believe that we're reading the actual journal of a 12-year-old. This book would make a great addition to middle school libraries, and would be a terrific choice for classroom or home discussions. Recommended for strong independent readers -- and their parents, too.
Review copy courtesy of Random House via Netgalley.
My full review is up at http://bookshelffantasies.com/2013/05/18/book-review-twerp/.
Twerp is well-written, and it's easy to believe that we're reading the actual journal of a 12-year-old. This book would make a great addition to middle school libraries, and would be a terrific choice for classroom or home discussions. Recommended for strong independent readers -- and their parents, too.
Review copy courtesy of Random House via Netgalley.
My full review is up at http://bookshelffantasies.com/2013/05/18/book-review-twerp/.
silviaacevedo's review against another edition
5.0
A 6th-grade boy in 1969’s New York City is given a choice by his teacher to either keep a journal and write about what got him and his friends suspended or write a report on Shakespeare, which the boy is sure he’d flunk.
I was late to the party on this one, but I’m so glad I discovered it. TWERP feels to me like a (lower stakes, gentler) middle grade CATCHER IN THE RYE. We see the world through the eyes of a genuinely likable boy who knows he made a bad choice — well, several, most of which he’s willing to admit, except for the story his teacher most wants to hear. The protagonist has a good heart, though, and cares about his friends and family. You can’t help but root for him and you’re so glad when he comes to terms with it all. I’m about to start the sequel, FINDING THE WORM. TWERP is good stuff. Another Amazon Teacher’s Pick. Recommended.
I was late to the party on this one, but I’m so glad I discovered it. TWERP feels to me like a (lower stakes, gentler) middle grade CATCHER IN THE RYE. We see the world through the eyes of a genuinely likable boy who knows he made a bad choice — well, several, most of which he’s willing to admit, except for the story his teacher most wants to hear. The protagonist has a good heart, though, and cares about his friends and family. You can’t help but root for him and you’re so glad when he comes to terms with it all. I’m about to start the sequel, FINDING THE WORM. TWERP is good stuff. Another Amazon Teacher’s Pick. Recommended.
spiderdan2's review against another edition
5.0
So good!!! I was expecting a little, innocent story, but instead I got a riveting take on life in Queens. The story starts out a bit slow, but it's filled with hilarious stories and tales building up to emotional climaxes. Julian felt almost real, and Eduardo's backstory makes you hate things that can't really be controlled. Twerp is a fun little book and would reccomend it to anyone who wants a fun, old-school story about friends and the crap they get into.