Customer Reviews

The Brute

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Mike Klaassen's first book shines as a well-crafted novel. The book doesn't flinch at gory images, gross humor, and real pre-teen and teen language. From the excellent beginning sentence to the last line The Brute has readers on the edge of their chairs. The gripping, tumultuous adventures of 16 year old Fortney Curtis, as he is literally tossed into the grips of a tornado's aftermath, are equal to that of a modern day hero's journey. Fort, his nickname, has another nickname, "Brute," attributed to his large size and his untamed temper, which can cause quite a lot of damage. In this saga Fort attempts to rescue his father, brothers, other young Boy Scouts, a rancher, and her teenage niece, Tana, from the devastation of the tornado that slammed down onto their wilderness Scout camp and the surrounding countryside. However, he runs into one dangerous obstacle after another including that of his own unharnessed anger. Yet, there are also poignant moments such as the unexpected loyalty of Butch, a Rottweiler, who Fort has just met. Will Fort achieve his two-fold goal of getting help for the others as well as taming his rage? The book is successful because it is encased in gritty truth about modern day life on a Kansas prairie. The story shows teen boys that they can learn to cope with their own inner hurdles while facing life's outer challenges. Kudos to Mike Klaassen for such a page-turning tale; and kudos to all the readers who risk embarking on this literary journey. Highly recommended for young adult readers twelve and older.

"The Brute" is a compelling story of one boy's struggle with his own weaknesses. Placed in a challenging situation where he must be the decision maker we watch him deal with these weaknesses in a fast paced, action filled adventure. A real page turner. The author is right on target with his modern day audience of teen boys but I enjoyed it as well at age 58. It is just the kind of story to get or keep teen boys reading.

The Lost and Found Colony
Conestoga Courage
Cracks

When sixteen-year-old Fortney Curtis lands a punch, especially on someone younger than himself, it can do major bone-breaking damage. He is one big brute of a kid. Fort has an anger control problem, and his Scout Leader dad expects him to work on it.

Even though Fort is sick to death of being a Boy Scout, he agrees to help his dad on a wilderness camping trip with the younger Scouts. Fort and his bad attitude are thrown into a major misadventure when a deadly tornado hits.

With his father badly hurt, it's up to Fort to go for help. He soon finds his Scout training invaluable as he battles nature's extremes for survival. A rattlesnake bite, a charging, mad Brahma bull, rotting, maggot infested animals; nature cuts Fort no breaks along the way.

In the end, Fort is astounded to find that not only can he tame nature, but he can also tame a much bigger adversary- himself.

Mike Klaassen's The Brute is a chilling, fast-paced read for young adults; one that paints a colorful picture of youth overcoming all obstacles to become a better person for it.


By Faith Reese Martin - Author of Lost and Found Colony and Conestoga Courage for Young Adults

Fortney Curtis, Fort for short, has a terrible temper. That wouldn't be a problem for the sixteen year old, if he wasn't six foot two and as strong as an ox. The skills that help him on the football field impede him with his family and his friends, and a guy like him has no luck with the girls. That's why his nickname is The Brute.

Fort's world is about to change. When a summer tornado wipes out the scout campsite that includes six other scouts, his father, and their scoutmaster, the scoutmaster and Fort's father are disabled. That leaves Fort as the one who has to take charge and take care of injured adults and scouts. But first, Fort has to get control of himself or nothing he does will make any difference. He might even win the heart of the girl in the end.

In this fast paced adventure novel, we get to see Fort begin his journey to true manhood. He has to face many obstacles, but the greatest one is himself. The author, Mike Klaassen, tells this story with tautly drawn prose that makes The Brute a fun novel that teens will really enjoy.

Once in awhile a new author offers an exceptional book that should be touted by others not associated with the author, the publisher, or the store owner. That's why I'm hoping that readers of all ages will find Mike Klaassen's book on the shelves. As a language arts teacher of 35 plus years, I found this book worth every minute of reading!

Were I a sixteen-year-old or younger, Mike Klaassen's The Brute would be a great way to spend a couple of glued-to-the-pages hours! Constant action and compelling interactions with people while confronting both internal and external conflicts will keep the reader wondering how Fort will solve the major problems of the storm, both the one inside and the one without. Fort's coming-of-age story is a must read for those who are trying to control an anger that has grown to dangerous proportions.

The reader, though, gains much more from this scouting novel set in Kansas: how to build a fire, how to perform CPR, how to resourcefully prepare chicken, both baked and roasted with no kitchen full of equipment or fuel, how to survive a rattler's bite, how to "pin" an angry Brahma bull--the list is almost endless! If I were a scout leader, I'd put it on a list for guys and gals to read! The male reader will find Fort's problem solving encouraging and want to replicate it. The teenage girl will find Fort's muscular physique something she wants to tuck into her diary. Both will enjoy Fort's interest in Tana, the teenage girl on the Kansas ranch that is hit by the tornado and both will learn from Fort's determined search for a way to control his inner emotions, especially his anger.

Fort's heroism doesn't go unnoticed, either; but he does have to face up to the trouble his anger has caused. The way in which he does confront all of the obstacles in the novel make Fort a character we would enjoy reading about again--and again. The fact that Fort has a character flaw (his anger), makes his heroism even more appealing: readers with character flaws can say to themselves, "Yes! I can be a hero, too! All I have to do is . . ."

Teachers, you will find this novel an excellent choice for other reasons. A Blue Works novel offers more than just a good read; a reader may download from the Blue Works web site a full-color poster, an extensive study guide written by the author, a "Making Of" interview with the author and others, deleted or extra scenes not found in the novel, fan-fiction links, a limited edition, official trading card for the book, and a full-color bookmark, door-hanger, club card and more.

The site for Blue Works is [...]in case you want to pursue this book!

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