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kawarwick's review
4.0
Great read for middle and high school! Fast read! Makes you think about what you are willing to fight for. Great conversation starter about word choice/profanity.
blackerbird's review
4.0
Great book on the importance of words and how they are used. Great read for middle and high school boys and music lovers!
usbsticky's review
4.0
The book was easy to read and follow. I got into it right away. I would recommend this book to any middle schooler who is interested in bands.
I got this as a free ARC.
I got this as a free ARC.
heisereads's review
4.0
There is something about this book that struck a chord with me as a middle school teacher. Anthony reminded me of students I have currently and had in the past who feel misunderstood by their teachers...and seeing events from his perspective makes me want to do better by them. For this reason, I think Breakout is a book that teachers should read (especially Emerson's author's note about the inspiration for this character).
Breakout will appeal to the boys in my classroom, but also some of the girls who want to get into the head of the boys and figure out what they're really thinking. But the best audience for this book will be the musicians or kids who feel misunderstood. They will relate to the main character and root for him as they go along on this twelve day journey with Anthony, to Arts Night when his band will play for the school, to figure out how to stand up for what he believes and be true to himself.
At it's heart, this is a book about perspectives and words and choices and wanting to be heard and being true to our feelings. That f-bomb word is a major factor in this book (although the actual word is never written out), but it's about so much more than just one polarizing word and a choice about whether to use it during a performance or not. The power of one word comes more from the intent behind it and the purpose for using it - it's about the emotion that caused that word to come out, as Anthony figures out and defends.
All of that being said, there were some specific references to things woven throughout that at times felt a little overused to me, but they did all end up connecting together at the end in a way that made sense. This could be more because I do not play video games, and so these references throughout would connect more with the intended teen audience who have more familiarity with them.
Kevin Emerson has again written a novel that is an ode to the music-loving teen, a call to action for teachers to understand their students, a story with universal themes of acceptance and finding one's own strength and figuring out what's right that will resonate with many readers, and rocking good writing that teens will relate to and devour.
Although Breakout is a different tone (and gender of main character) from Emerson's Exile, it is one to hand to students who enjoyed his writing and the music-centric elements.
*Disclaimer: I was given an advance copy of this book by the author for an honest opinion, but that did not influence my review.
Breakout will appeal to the boys in my classroom, but also some of the girls who want to get into the head of the boys and figure out what they're really thinking. But the best audience for this book will be the musicians or kids who feel misunderstood. They will relate to the main character and root for him as they go along on this twelve day journey with Anthony, to Arts Night when his band will play for the school, to figure out how to stand up for what he believes and be true to himself.
At it's heart, this is a book about perspectives and words and choices and wanting to be heard and being true to our feelings. That f-bomb word is a major factor in this book (although the actual word is never written out), but it's about so much more than just one polarizing word and a choice about whether to use it during a performance or not. The power of one word comes more from the intent behind it and the purpose for using it - it's about the emotion that caused that word to come out, as Anthony figures out and defends.
All of that being said, there were some specific references to things woven throughout that at times felt a little overused to me, but they did all end up connecting together at the end in a way that made sense. This could be more because I do not play video games, and so these references throughout would connect more with the intended teen audience who have more familiarity with them.
Kevin Emerson has again written a novel that is an ode to the music-loving teen, a call to action for teachers to understand their students, a story with universal themes of acceptance and finding one's own strength and figuring out what's right that will resonate with many readers, and rocking good writing that teens will relate to and devour.
Although Breakout is a different tone (and gender of main character) from Emerson's Exile, it is one to hand to students who enjoyed his writing and the music-centric elements.
*Disclaimer: I was given an advance copy of this book by the author for an honest opinion, but that did not influence my review.
amdame1's review
3.0
I think middle and high school students will absolutely be able to relate to the main character in this story. Anthony feels like he has no control, his teachers don't listen to him, and all he really wants to do is play his guitar and practice with his band.
Lots of places where F*** is in the text - but exactly like that. Author makes a point of saying how important it is that we use specific words for a reason, including swears.
Lots of places where F*** is in the text - but exactly like that. Author makes a point of saying how important it is that we use specific words for a reason, including swears.
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