Games
Grade 6&ndash;9&mdash;In alternating voices, two feuding middle schoolers describe the hostility that has brought them to blows. Book lover and aspiring writer Mick Sullivan is a big kid who has no interest in sports, much to his alcoholic father's disappointment. Music lover Boot Quinn, whose mother has left the family, is ignored, neglected, and sometimes abused by his father and older brother. The boys' private pain boils over in one another's presence as adolescent bravado and peer pressure lead them into frequent fistfights. Neither one is ready for the solution that the new principal has devised: for two periods each day, they are sequestered in his inner office to play board games until they can learn to get along. At first this brings their enmity into sharper focus, particularly as Boot's feelings of inferiority are exacerbated by Mick's playing skills. Goaded by fellow students, the boys challenge each other to a serious dare involving betrayal of the things they hold most dear. Complicating matters further, both boys have a crush on classmate Tabitha, who is secretly taking bets on how their battles will turn out. The plot is taut and compelling, with deft, sympathetic characterization, memorable scenes, and right-on description of the middle-school culture. Despite Mr. Maddox's clever handling of the boys, there are no simple solutions and the story ends with only a glimmer of hope that Mick and Boot can be friends. A must-read for adolescents and those trying to understand them.&mdash;Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NYCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.