Breaking Boxes [Hardcover]

A.M. Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1997

Charlie Calmont is a teenage loner. His parents are gone and except for his older brother, Trent, he doesn't need anyone, especially friends. But when Charlie ends up suspended after a school fight, he meets Brandon Chase, and things begin to change. Even though privileged Brandon hangs with the moneyed crowd, Charlie discovers there's a real person underneath the rich kid exterior. For once, Charlie makes a connection, and allows himself to care. Until he reveals something about Trent . . . and Brandon turns away.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Winner of the 14th annual Delacorte Prize, Breaking Boxes just may break your heart. It's the story of a loner named Charlie Calmont, his older brother Trent, and how they get by after both of their parents are gone. Most of the time Charlie feels lucky: Trent never hassles him, and, for the most part, they get on fine with fish sticks and canned vegetables. The calm disappears, though, when Charlie gets suspended for fighting with guys at school who care more about the kind of shoes he wears than who Charlie is on the inside. In this alternately heart-warming and heart-breaking tale, A. M. Jenkins tells what happens to Charlie after he befriends one of the guys who tried to beat him up. What is a friend, anyway? How will Charlie, who's never had many friends, know when it's appropriate to open his heart for a new friend or when it's time to shut himself off from the world and act cool?

From Publishers Weekly

According to PW, "Though the plot may read like an after-school special on accepting homosexuals, [the first-person narrator's] funny, angry voice will keep up readers' interest." Ages 14-up. (Feb.) .
- funny, angry voice will keep up readers' interest." Ages 14-up. (Feb.) n
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 182 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385325134
• ISBN-13: 978-0385325134
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,315,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly a good book!, May 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Boxes (Hardcover)

This book, by A.M Jenkins, could have an incredible affect on your heart. The plot, while it is somewhat predictable, has interesting twists and turns. This book is very realistic about what happens in it.. The main character is sixteen year old Charlie Calmont. His parents are gone, his father left the family and his mother drank herself to death. He lives in a poor neighboorhood with his down to earth brother, Trent. Everything's fine in Charlie's world until some rich boys at school make fun of him and he lashes out at them. Only one of the boys who harassed him is punished, Brandon Chase, the class leader. Brandon and Charlie get to know each other while they are punished at school. Then Brandon offers him a ride home in his Corvette. Their friendship comes quickly after that. Brandon tells Charlie that he is a real person in a world of fakes, and Charlie feels that Brandon is not who he seems to be, and that Brandon is trapped in a bad nightmare. Eventually, Charlie feels close enough to Brandon to reveal his biggest secret about Trent to him. Brandon has a bad reaction and the whole school knows about Charlie's secret. With this Charlie tells himself he will never let someone get close to him ever again. One last fight brings the boys back together again, and helps Charlie to admit that he really does care about things. Charlie's story is in a voice that most teens can understand. Yet, Charlie is someone to care for. This novel tells with clarity the risk of opening up to others.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking Boxes - Breaking the Barries in Teenage Readings., May 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Boxes (Mass Market Paperback)

Breaking Boxes clearly brakes the traditional barrier in teenage readings. It effectively deals with contemporary issues incl. alcoholism, domestic violence and homosexuality that are often avoided or dealt relunctantly in young adult literature. AM Jenkins's potrayal of the characters are all thorough and emotionally touching. It's an excellent reading for both young adults and adults alike.

Personally I would include Breaking Boxes as one of my old-time favorites.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncompromising in its realistic portrayal, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Boxes (Hardcover)

Progress doesn't always come in enormous leaps and bounds, and it comes harder for some than others. By the conclusion of 'Breaking Boxes,' protagonist Charlie Calmont has made progress- in some small, cautious but positive steps. The novel may strike some people as bleak because it doesn't compromise in portraying the world of its characters in honest terms. Young adult readers could use more, not fewer, works of the quality of 'Breaking Boxes.' If you want a fun, moving, candid novel about the struggles of being open and trusting both to oneself and others, 'Breaking Boxes' is right for you. If you want empty moralizing, look elsewhere.