S.S.R. Book: Winger by Andrew Smith
45
Climaxes
PLOT
ENTERTAIN!!!!!
Theme/Lesson: Don't let others determine the outcome of your life.
*After a rugby match, there is an emotionally charged fight that results in a hate crime. Pine Mountain has a player, Joey, who is openly gay and members of the opposing team try to beat him up because of it. Joey's teammates stick up for/protect him by fighting back. Punches were thrown, there was a stabbing, and guys ended up in the hospital.
*Ryan Dean gets to meet Annie's parents over a weekend break. He finally gets the courage to kiss Annie.
Writing Style
Conflicts: (Character vs. Character/s)
*Ryan Dean has fallen for his best friend Annie, but Annie isn't sure if it's a good idea for them to date, even though she is attracted to him (afraid she'll be hurt by the guy).
* Ryan Dean never knows when Chas and his friends will dare/set Ryan Dean up to get into trouble within their dorm and the dorm supervisor is very suspicious of their antics (Ryan Dean is convinced she casts spells on him).
*It's hard for Ryan Dean to fit in/relate when he's a lot younger than his peers.
*Mood: Comedy and Drama (decent balance of the two)
*Hook: The book opens with a scene where Ryan Dean's head is being dunked into a toilet by his peers. The writing is extremely sarcastic and the main character still manages to find the humor in the situation.
*Character Imagery: Seanie is one of Ryan Dean's closet friends. He's very dead pan/lacking vocal tone where you are never sure if he's joking or serious. I always picture Napoleon Dynamite when Seanie is talking.
Book's Best Audience: enjoy sports/like romance/aren't offended by profanity/like sarcasm or dark humor
Ideas/Suggestions
Vocabulary:
*impeccably (adv.) - free from fault/blame
*perceptions (n.) - the way one thinks or understands
*spontaneous (adj.) - momentary impulse
*agonizing (adj.) - intensely harsh
*intimidation (n.) -
state of fear
Predictions
*Since the book was pretty funny throughout the majority of the story I did not see the ending coming AT ALL. It was a shock to the system, especially because I became very invested in the characters so reading something terrible that happened to them was the worst. I would not have had such a negative ending for the one particular character (I don't want to give anything away), because he was such a likeable character and one of my favorites in the story.
Favorite Quote
* I would hope if the story continued on that Ryan Dean's senior year is without too much drama. I think he experienced enough of that his junior year.
*I'd like to think that Ryan Dean and Annie's relationship really evolves as they go into their senior year.
*To the people who caused the unhappy ending for one of the main characters, I hope justice is served and they are severely punished for their crime.
The Basics:
Personal Opinions
(When Ryan Dean finds a new self-confidence)
"I don't think I've ever been so physically aggressive in my life, but all I could think about was JP and his smug I'm-taking-your-girlfriend-out announcement over lunch, and how Annie told me to get tough this year. So I was sick of this ________, of being treated like a little kid, especially by my best friends, and I wasn't going to let it keep on happening to me."
(page 155)
*Why this book? I came across this book when I was reading a blog review. The individual highly endorsed the book and I found the cover to be hilarious!
*Review:I would rate this book a 9.5/10! It is such an engaging read. Occasionally the swearing seemed a little excessive, but well-written throughout!
*Reading Zone: I mostly read it during S.S.R. When I know all the students are reading then it's easy for me to get swept up in my book too!
Setting: The story takes place at a private boarding school, Pine Mountain, for high school students.
Exposition: Pacific Northwest part of the United States; the course of one school year (junior year); present day
Characters
Fiction Type = Realistic-Fiction
Published: 2013
Protagonist = Ryan Dean West
*14 year old, but a junior in high school (very intelligent and star rugby player)
*Also the first-person narrator
Antagonist = Chas (Ryan Dean's roommate and a bully); Megan (a massive tease who is quite self-centered); sometimes Ryan Dean too (there are moments where his selfish behavior sabotages his own happiness)