Slam by Nick Hornby

This is a novel about a teenage boy named Sam Jones who has a lot of things going for him. His mom has dumped her boyfriend, his teachers are reccomending going to college for art, and he has a new girlfriend. He has a main hobby in skateboarding and talks to his Tony Hawk poster about the good and bad in his life. All of a sudden, a turn for the worse comes, when he becomes a father with his girlfriend Alcicia still being a teen. Suddenly, she seems less attractive, it is tough looking after the baby, and he must go to college aswell. Things are piling up in his life and it seems out of control. How he handles it, and how or if he makes it through this strenuous lifestyle is for you to find out. This book was decent and I would reccomend it to those who are interested in relationships and teen books. Although this book may seem boring, it has a vast amount of good parts aswell. The main point the author was trying to make in this book was events pile up very fast when reckless decisions are made, and that one should take one moment at a time, and have fun in your teen years. This message seemed to lack in the main characters brain, but with any decision he went and talked to the Tony Hawk poster, showing how everyone should have someone to talk to in rough times.

The Blind side by Michael Lewis

This is the story of a boy named Michael Oher, a son of drug addict of a mom, and in which his father his dead. Having close to 15 brothers and sisters from different fathers, his mom does not have to money to feed them, and therefore having to go long whiles without it. Only because of a friends dad, bid mike, Michael Oher is allowed t ogo to a christian school, which is mostly all white. Going from public school to public school before, Michael only had F's and D's on his report card, but he did have one bright spot in his resume..a great basketball player..but mostly a great football player. Only problem..his grades weren't good enough to play. One day, leigh Anne Tuohy saw him on the streets and decided to pick him up and allow him to stay in her house. Already having 2 of her own kids with her husbadn sean, Michael fit right in. The family got a tutor for Michael in order to get his grades u pin able for him t obe allowed to play football in highschool and college. By the 11th grade, many colleges had interest in him and his grades were improving rapidly. In the end, he went to ole Miss for college and was a first round pick in the NFL draft for the Ravens. This is a great story and I would reccomend it to anyone who has at least a small interest in football and in the mood for heart warming story.

Q&A by Vikas Swarup

The inspiation for the acadamy award winning movie slumdog millionaire, this book is about a orphan boy named Ram Mohammed who lives up in the slums of poor india and as an eighteen year old goes on the show who wants to be a billionaire, and wins. Because at the time he is a waiter in a low class restaurant, people suspect him of cheating somehow and arrest him. In his defense, a lawyer is given to him and a story goes behind every question. From living under a priest, to a famous actress and a killer. Also he has experences such as almost being killed on a train and a bus, and loosing all his earnings on a train, to bartending and hearing some crazy stories. All in all, every question has a story in which it is an explanation for the correct answer. Along the way, he becomes best friends with a boy named Salim, and falls in love. Overall, I would certainly recommend this to anyone. It can relate to everyone in some way even though you and him live different lives. Thus, Q&A is a great story and inspiration to all.

A boy named "It"

This novel accounts the childhood and rare story of a young child named David Pelzer whose childhood is like none other. Being treated the same as his other brothers as a young boy, as he goes through elementary school his mom begins to torture him more and more. He gets no food, he must stay in the basement and sleep there, do all the chores in the house, and get beat up by his mom for doing nothing wrong. For a child just wanting tp survive, his mom things he is a waste of space and a waste of a person and wants to kill him. He is treated like an "it" and is a misfit. Even worse, his dad doesn't do anything about it and lets it happen. He gets his head plunged under the bath tub and it is forced to stay, he is trapped in a bathroom with ammonia in it, and he has to eat his own throw up. The reader starts to really feel horrible for the child and just wish she treats him like the rest of her sons. It becomes known to the school in the 5th grade that he is getting beaten and not fed, and eventually he is taken away from his mother and sent to a facility. I would not reccomend this book to people who are easily scared and cannot take injustice, but i do reccoumend this book to others who can because it is a great story and memoir of a rough life.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Keir, a high school senior, struggles with making friends and spends weekend nights with his dad playingrisk. Being the high school kicker and a soccer player was fine for him, until he is asked t oplay cornerback for a few plays. He ends up making a huge hit on a kid a, who becomes badly injured. After missing school for a while because of investigations, he becomes instantly popular and receives the nickname "killer" and becomes instantly popular. he gets college schlolarship offers and now goes out on the weekends. He decides to to Norfolk university, where his sisters go. Although he has a strong relationship with his dad, he becomes best friends and more with a girl named Gigi. Although she has a boyfriend in the military, Keir takes advantage of her gettinghe drunk and hanging out with her alone. After going in a hotel room with her, and having an affair, the next day Gigi says she was raped. The girl Keir loved now hates him and says his actions were inexcusable. He is now in a state of shock because of a twist in his life. His sisters don't go to his graduation, and his love thinks she was raped by him. The only person he can look up to is his dad. He is back where he started at the beggining ofthe book, no friends and no dreams any longer.

Inexcusable By Chris Lynch(up to 30)

Keir, a highschool boy just getting by high school and a pretty good football player gets into a big prediciment. Only being the field goal kicker for the high school kicker was fine for Keir until he was asked to play a while at cornerback. After only a little while in the game, he makes a huge hit on an opposing player. with that player not getting up. Suddenly, he became a short time hero and receiving many scholarship offers for college, his dreams, But, investigations about the hit go in but nothing serious, suddenly his girlfriend, Gigi gets mad at him and says she will never forgive him for something. It is a mystery to all. Keir goes from nobody to everybody in seconds, and barely knows how to handle it. From used to hang out with his dad on weekends to having a steady girlfriend, it is troubling Keir. We will have to see how this situation turns out and how the college process works. Hopefully it ends up as Keir gets into a great college and keeps his girlfriend, but we will see.

Born to Rock(Rest of the book)

As Leo is adjusting to the punk life and the life of a roadie, and getting to know King Maggot a lot better, he has trouble getting a long with the manager, King maggot's brother, Bernie, who always torments him. Towards the middle of the tour, Leo finds out some terrible news. King Maggot is not his father, but Bernie is. Leo takes the news terribly and tries to run away, he quits the tour but ends up spending time with Melinda, who is at the concerts with Owen to see them. After a while on tour with Melinda, and even after The King confronts him and leo rejoins the band, the band breaks up because the members of Purge are getting tired of the band, along with a few other issues. Leo goes back home, this without telling The King that he is truly not his father. After being at home, for a while, King Maggot comes to Leo's town and ends up paying his tuition for college, knowing he is not his father. This was a great book, and i could barely put it down at some points. On the surface it seems like a book about just a boy trying to fing away to get into college, but it is truly about the steps people take when they truly care about someone.