Review of Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

Miller, Ashley Edward and Zack Stentz.  Colin Fischer. Razorbill (Young Penguin Readers Group), 2012.  978-1-59514-578-9.  226 p.   $17.99, hc.  Grades 8 and up.

Colin Fischer is a fourteen-year-old freshman with Asperger’s Sydrome.  He is high-functioning and extremely intelligent, but is an outcast because of his lack of social skills.  He is very observant and detail-oriented, and has kept a notebook of his observations for many years.  He does not excel at any sports, except jumping on the trampoline, which seems to calm his nerves and help him to think.

On his first two days as a freshman, Colin causes a scene in class, gets sent to the principal’s office, learns to shoot basketball, becomes a witness in a school gun incident, gets into a fight, and lies to his parents for the first time.  This, from a boy, who has never been in trouble at school!  When he is sent to the office for disrupting class, he is able to tell Dr. Doran, the principal at West Valley High School, specifics about a student’s cellphone that no one else would even notice!

The next day, as Colin’s friend, Melissa, celebrates her birthday with cake in the cafeteria, there is a school shooting!  The obvious culprit is Wayne, one of the school bullies, but Colin knows he is innocent and sets out to prove it.  Although Wayne has tormented Colin since grade school, the two pair up and go on a wild adventure to figure out who owns the gun used in the shooting!  Using what they learn, what Colin overhears and his honed powers of deduction, Colin pins the crime on the girlfriend on another of the school’s thugs.  The solving of the crime results in mutual admiration and an unlikely friendship between Colin and Wayne!

Colin Fischer is just a delightful novel!  I cannot remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a book!  Colin is a wonderful character, very matter-of-fact, and takes everything so literal.  He writes down everything in his spiral notebook, which is actually more of a journal, including the word, “investigate”, if he needs more information.  Because he has a hard time deciphering facial expressions, he carries around flash cards to help him label emotions.  In the book, the font for these emotions…ANGER…SERIOUS…IMPRESSED…and so on, seem to mimic the actual words he might see on his flash cards.  During the story, readers find out more about Asperger’s Syndrome, both through writings in his notebook and through dialogue.

Colin’s mom and dad are great parents!  They have worked at raising Colin to be independent, but are still surprised when moments arrive when he doesn’t need their help.  He is still able to surprise them with his accomplishments.  His brother, Danny, on the other hand, is resentful and jealous of Colin, who just seems to shrug it off.  This is one-sided sibling rivalry!

My favorite part of the book was the quest that Wayne and Colin went on, specifically the time spent in the home of the La Familia gang!  I also loved how Mr. Turrentine, Colin’s gym teacher, took the time to actually teach Colin how to shoot the basketball.  Mr. Turrentine had the best line in the book when he said to Colin, “Life is a contact sport, and pads are not an option.”

This is a great guy book, but girls will also enjoy it.  It’s a quick read and one that shouldn’t be missed!  I highly recommend it for upper middle school, high school, and public libraries!

*Reviewer’s Note:  This book was received from Library Media Connection in exchange for an honest review.

 

Review of Leverage by Josh Cohen

Leverage by Josh Cohen.  Dutton, 2011.

Kurt Brodsky is recruited as a junior to attend Oregrove High School by Coach Briggs, who hungers for a state football championship. Kurt has grown up in foster care and has had some very bad experiences in his life, not the least of which is molestation by adults. In fact, at his last group home, Mr. Sandborn, aka “Crud Bucket”, was especially horrendous and evil in his abuse, killing Kurt’s friend, Lamar. Kurt escapes from his problems by lifting weights and becoming stronger, with revenge as his ultimate goal. However, he has a kind heart and a gentle soul, but also suffers from severe stuttering. He has a promising future as an offensive fullback.

Sophomore Danny Meehan, is a two-year member of Oregrove’s gymnastic team. He has set lofty goals for himself, hopefully ending in a full-ride college scholarship. Unfortunately, at Oregrove, football is king, and football players rule the school. The three football captains, quarterback Scott Miller, offensive tackle Tom Jankowski, and defensive lineman Mike “Stud” Studblatz, are extremely talented, but they are hyped up on Coach Briggs’s steroids. They terrorize the school, but mainly target the smaller athletes--the gymnastic team, the cross country team, and the swimming team.

Gymnastics coach Ted Nelson, a retired special ops military man, discovers his team budget has been cut by Coach Briggs, who is using the money to put a JumboTron up in the football stadium. Coach Nelson challenges the football players to a strength contest in the school’s weight room, with the winner getting to use the weight room whenever they wish. Much to the football teams’ dismay, they lose to the gymnasts, which sets off a series of pranks between the two teams. The retaliation between the two squads gets more and more out of control, leading to physical abuse and, eventually, a student’s suicide. In an unlikely pairing, Kurt and Danny team up with Tina, also a former foster care child, to expose the football bullies and mete out a kind of justice of their own.

This novel debut by Josh Cohen was a gripping, intense book, one I had to put down at times so I could ponder and absorb what I had read! The characters were extremely well-fleshed out and densely developed. A lot of thought went into their interactions; even the minor characters were complex! The book is told in alternating chapters between the two main characters—Kurt and Danny. I loved Kurt who, at first glance, seemed strong, imposing, and mean, but was actually a gentle giant underneath that hard exterior. Others’ perceptions of his being stupid because he stuttered only added an extra dimension to his likability factor.

Danny, as well, was extremely likable. I admired the way he set his goals to so high. The unlikely friendship that formed between Kurt and Danny was heartfelt and true. It was through Danny’s leadership and encouragement that the entire gymnastics team embraced Kurt’s inclusion in some of their activities.

Tina, the Goth techie girl whom Kurt knew from a previous foster home, was one tough chick. She was a super-hero in disguise! Not only did she know about music, computers and other technology, she was the defender of the weak! I loved how she and her friend, Indira, tried to take on Tom Jankowski in the hallway when he was bullying Danny. She also plays a huge part in the book’s climax.

The three football captains were vile, crude, and rude, and I absolutely hated them. I could not find a single redeeming quality in their personalities. However, at times, their behaviors almost seemed bully-stereotypical. I think that Cohen probably intended his reading audience to loathe the bullies, which was certainly the case, for me, at least.

The action scenes, both for gymnastics and football were extremely descriptive. The ending was awesome, although there is a surprising, unexpected twist! The novel is really about perceptions and expectations, how to overcome adversity, and acceptance of others. Due to the graphic nature of parts of the book I would only recommend it for mature readers, perhaps tenth grade and up. Those who do dive into this book will not be disappointed!

Review of The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander.  Walden Pond Press, 2011.

Best friends and sixth-graders Vince and Christian (aka Mac..from MacGuyver) have their own business giving advice and procuring items for fellow students. Their office is located in the fourth stall of an abandoned bathroom in the east wing at their grade school. Mac solves kids’ problems and Vince handles the money side of the business. They are both Chicago Cubs fans and are saving their money so that they can see the Cubs play if they make it to the World Series. The business is going great until they take on a third-grade client who needs protection from a legendary crime boss named Staples. Staples is running a gambling racket at the school, paying players to throw games, and charging enormous amounts of interest to his clients. Students who don’t pay up have their lives made miserable by Staples’s henchmen. In trying to put Staples out of business, Mac, Vince, and even the school bullies find out that they have taken on more than they bargained for!

The Fourth Stall has to be one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. In his debut novel for young adults, Chris Rylander has successfully given voice to some very likable and memorable characters. The story is written from the point of view of Mac, who is extremely resourceful when it comes to solving problems. His best friend, Vince, is wise in the ways of number crunching and comes up with some hilarious lines he steals from his eccentric grandmother. The author really seems to understand guys’ minds and their friendships. Mac even persuades the school bullies to help him take down Staples, who has previously just been a rumor around school. The description of the grade school bullies, which include biters and computer hackers, is extremely comical! Staples is portrayed as a really bad guy, and as quite controlling. He has high school and middle school students doing his dirty work, and they are tormenting the younger students. The plot is extremely believable, and it genuinely works!

Even though there are young characters in the book, this book can be enjoyed by older students. I highly recommend it for middle school, high school, and public libraries!