Customer Reviews

How I Changed My Life (Time Zone High)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked How I Changed My Life by Todd Strasser alot. It is about a girl named Bolita Vine (Bo for short) who is a shy kind of student. She isn't very popular and isn't known around school much. She just goes to class and her theatre group. Her theatre group is mainly her life. She spends most of her time sitting on the cat walk above stage. But then one day she decides to change. She changes her self image from the hair she had since she was in 3rd grade to the new high school looking hair-do. people finally start to notice her after she loses a few pounds and changes her self image.She has always had a major crush on the former football captain, Kyle Winthrop. He espically never notices her since he has the great and most perfect and popular Chole for a girlfriend. But when Kyle and Chole's relationship starts to dicentigrate afte Klye's knee injury, they feel like the world is falling apart. It is a very eciting book! It can really boost a teen's self esteem. The only reason I gave this book four stars is because they talk about some mature types of things and they very often use foul language. But if that doesn't bother you, read it!

I like the way it was written in the first person but the person changed by section, it gives you the view of what they are both thinking and gives you that edge where you know where they both are coming from.

"Don't try to be who you're not." One of Todd Strassers characters in the book How I Changed My Life, a ficion book, states this quote. This quotation is what the book is motsly about. This book shows high-school students trying to find who they really are. "A good actor becomes the character he's playing."
A high-school boy named Kyle Winthrop injured his knee and can no longer play football and be with his "team". He decides to audition for the school play , against the advice of his girlfriend, Chloe, whom herself is a ver good actress. Bo is the stage manager for this play and sees Kyle as a major hunk ad she has a crush on him. Chloe and Kyle seem to be growing closer to each other. As Bo spends more time with Kyle, she wants to work on her self-image, losing weight and becoming more assertive. "And if you hate your name, change it.: This concludes, if you don't like who you're becomimg to grow as a person, you can always change yourself to who you want to be.

"Dont try to be who you're not." One of Todd Strassers characters in the book How I Changed My Life, a fiction book, states this quote. This quotation is what the book is mostly about. This book shows high-school students trying to find who they really are." A good actor becomes the character he's playing."
A high-school boy named Kyle Winthrop injured his knee and can no longer play football and be with his "team". He decides to audition for the school play, against the advice of his girlfriend, Chloe, whom herself is a very good actress. Bo is the stage manager for this play and sees Kyle as a major hunk and she has a crush on him. Chloe and Kyle seem to be growing closer to each other. As Bo spends more time with Kyle, she wants to work on her self-image, losing wight and becoming more assertive. "And if you hate your name, change it." This concludes, if you don't like who you're becoming to grow as a person, you can always change yourself to who you want to be.

Like the famous godfather of teen movies, John Hughes, Todd Strasser has captured what it's like to be a teenager in the 1990s (opposed to the '80s) with problems surrounded by the cliquey teen caste system. In this book, Todd Strasser introduces his first of the Time Zone High trilogy (opposed to John Hughes's Shermer High quartet), with the chubby and drama queen, Bolita "Bo" Vine and the handsome and injured Kyle Winthrop. Bo and Kyle are from opposite ends of the social pool. Bo is a smart, calm misfit who most likely be with the rebels and weirdos, while Kyle is a brave, hunky jock, who's knee is injured, and who is most likely invited to all the good parties by the rich and popualr students.

The action starts there.

The fall play is starting and Bo is, as usual, the stage manager, although she'd rather be center stage. Pretty shadowed, she hides with her Gothy bud and her artist-cute friend on the catwalk in the auditorium. Bo is tired of being the way she is--when she finds out Kyle is what she wants. Kyle is tired of sitting out, watching the games and being his pretty, smart and popular girlfriend, Chloe Frost's little puppet, not doing what he wants. So he does something rebellous--he signs up for the school play.

Bo and Kyle clash a lot while she babysits his half-brother, and they both go swimming--she to work out, him to get away and exercise his legs. When Bo changes her entire look from a drab, sulky look to a pretty, gorgeous look, she tries to win Kyle over, but it's not that easy. Kyle still has major feelings for Chloe, even if she is a real ... and she's always being the lead in the plays. Bo is lovestruck.

This book is a typical, but comedic, story about high school love from different social stratesphere. It cycles the life of two teens, who are different but have the same problems. It's a cross between Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles--but the outcome is not going to be so fair. Read this. It's amazing. It's like the John Hughes movies-turned-books.

...In my opinion, this book really could boast a teen's self esteem a lot, since it is about realistic lives of 2 teens during high school. I also believe that this could help people to know how do deal with many situations by reading how the students in this book dealt with their problems. I agree that this book has a lot of foul language and there are some mature types of situations between the students, so I don't think that many young children would read this book. But this book has many exciting things that happen, that will make u want to continue reading. Since this book shows two points of views of two different people that are different sexes, it will be an interesting, and unusual type of book to read. I think that this is a good book to recommend to people too!

Have you ever wanted to become someone you weren't to attract someone of the opposite sex. In this story the main character, "Bo Vine",is willing to change her whole life for a guy.

The author, Todd Strasser, has written many great works including Friends to the End, The Wave, and Rock'n'Roll Nights.

Bo Vine decides she has a crush on a football player and thinks the same old Bo just isn't going to be enough for him. So, she changes her hair, buys new clothes, starts to lose weight, and tries out for stage manager of the schools production of Anne Frank when Kyle decides to join. Only there's one problem. Chloe, Kyle's girlfriend who has to be perfect at everything. Bo's friend's say she's going to get herself into troble if she keeps taking chances but Bo just won't see the danger. Read this fantastic book to find out what happens!

Bo is a high school student, a nobody, really, with a huge crush. The object of her crush is Kyle, a handsome student who used to be a star quarterback on the football team. Kyle has always been in low level classes and football was what he counted on to carry him to college. Then he hurt his knee. It needed surgery, and he will never play football again.

Suddenly Kyle's life is adrift. He begins to realize that he counted on football too much, that he thinks the kids in his classes are losers, and that he doesn't have much in common with his former teammates anymore. Even worse, he seems to be losing touch with his obnoxious perfectionist girlfriend, Chloe.

Bo thinks that there might be a chance for something between her and Kyle, especially since she's begun losing weight and is trying to be more outgoing. And even better, Kyle is in the play that Bo stage-manages. But will Kyle ever see her as more than the girl who babysits his little brother?

I liked how the narration went back and forth from Kyle to Bo, to show how each thought about each other and the situation they were in. I also liked how Bo took control over her own life and was able to change things to make herself happier.

The characters, though, could have been better developed. They were pretty cardboard.

This book deals with some situations of teens that may be life altering but none-the-less fun! This book held my attention throughout which is why I gave it five stars. It had believable characters, a believable plot, and believable situations. Now go read it!

If you like to actually read something that isn't retarded you should read this book. This book tells in detail the different point of views that people can have. It shows how what something means to you may not mean the same thing to another person. It also shows how hectic a life in highschool can be. It also tells us how confusing realationships can be.