Customer Reviews

Fighting Ruben Wolfe

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best young adult novel I've read in a long time. Teens who like action/sports novels will find it a satisfying read, but there's also much more depth than you typically find in books about adolescent boys. Zusak gets right to the heart and soul of his characters, developing a complex yet ultimately loving relationship between two tough brothers -- both of whom are the type of kids most adults would look down on. Most amazingly, the story is told almost completely through ordinary dialogue with the first-person voice interjecting amusing self-effacing observations. An absolute treat from beginning to end!

What a pleasure it was to finally get to read Zusak's first novel, the prequel to GETTING THE GIRL.

The Wolfe family is just barely making it. Dad's trying to recover from an accident at work and needs to find work or he'll have to go on the dole (welfare). Mom's working hard and doing the best she can. Rumors are flooding the school that their sister Sarah has been "getting around." Ruben and Cameron have done nothing but lose at the dog races. When Dad starts going door to door to beg for work, the boys resolve to do something, anything to redeem their pride and hide their embarrassment.

Ruben gets in a fight at school, and just like that an underground boxing league agent asks both of the boys if they want in -- $50 for a win, tips for a loss. Before long, the money isn't an issue anymore. It's about pride. Dignity. Self-worth. It's about fighting for something instead of rolling over and letting life kick you again while you're down. It's about getting up. Again. Again. Again. Because at some point you have to own up to what and who you are.

And it's about brothers. Because if there's one thing they'll always be, it's that.

-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

The book "Fighting Ruben Wolfe," by Markus Zusac was probably the best book I have ever read. Th librarian at our school recomended it to me, and at first I thought that I would feel like quiting after the first chapter, but the book kept me in suspense from page one. Some reasons why I like this book was because of all of the action in it, and how it kept me interested. It also didn't have a lot of complicated vocabulary that I couldn't understand. If you liked the book "The Contender" I would highly recomend this book.
The book is mainly about two 13-year-old boys named Ruben and Cameron Wolfe who are twin brothers that have a very poor family that is struggling to pay bills and eat. But then one day a guy by the name of Perry who owns a boxing arena saw them fighting in their back yard each with one glove. Then Perry pursuades them to become boxers. Cameron struggles a lot in his matches, while Ruben goes undefeated with all TKO's. Cameron eventually gets jealous of Ruben, because Ruben is not only getting more attention in the arena and at school, but a girl named Stephenie, who Cameron likes, now wants to go out with Ruben. Will the brothers eventually solve their problems at home and in life in the end? I would recomend this book to anyone who wants a book that is interesting and fun to read.

Ages 19 and up. Brothers Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are very family orientated and have great pride in their family. Their father just recently lost his job and his mom is a homemaker. Their parents are failing to pay the bills but still admit that everything is ok. With their dad going door-to-door looking for a job and anything that pays they both soon realize that their family pride has gone down. Their older sister isn't helping the situation because she drinks and "gets around." One day somebody was saying something about their sister and Ruben overheard and decided he was sick of it a knocked him out in one punch. Later that day a man was waiting at their house who then got them involved into a underground boxing league.

Full of suspense and action, that will keep a reader occupied and make it hard to put the book done. I thought the book was very well written and should appeal to nearly anybody. The writing in it was also very good because it got you close to the characters and made you feel like you were in the book.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe is a very good book. It is guided towards readers 7th gr. through 10th gr. It was one of those kind of books were you can't put it down. I would recommend this book to someone who likes books chuck-full of action. It's about brothers Cameron and Ruben, Cameron being the youngest in the family, and Ruben being the second youngest, living with a family with tons of problems. Their dad is unable to work, due to an injury that occurred at work. Since he's making no money, their mom is working several jobs at once to pay for the bills and to buy food and clothing. That's when Cam and Rube join an underground boxing circuit to raise money for themselves, and for their troubled family. This whole underground boxing thing starts when a guy named Perry sees Cam and Rube dukeing it out in their backyard. He thinks that they're pretty good, and asks if they would like to be part of a underground boxing circuit. They both agree, and start practicing harder for the tournaments held once a week. At first, Cam starts out slow, losing every round and not even throwing one punch. Rube of course starts out doing great and winning every round. Rube is making all the big bucks, and making Cam jealous, yet more encouraged. After more hard training, Cam starts winning more, and so does Rube. In the end, it all comes down to the final fight against the two best fighters, who are...... Cam and Rube. To find out how this final showdown ends, find out who is triumphant, and find out who is the loser, read the book.

Have you ever read one of those books that you absolutly just couldn't put down? Well, if you have or if you haven't, this is one of them. It tells the story of two brothers in a working class family in Auatralia. Cameron, quiet, sensative, but quirky and funny tells the story, although Ruben, tough, handsome, and driven, is just as much a part of the story as Cam. In the story Cam and Rube join an underground boxing league, partialy for their family and particaly for themselves. You'll be racing through the pages, especially during the fight scenes. Overall, this is an excellent book. It also has a sequal (Getting the Girl), which you should also check out. Something else that I've discovered is that this book is actually the second in a trilogy, although is precessor is only avaliable in Australia, along with Zusak's newest book, The Messenger (which is great by the way). If you really are a hard-core Zusak fan you can find these books on an Austrailan book dealer site, although you might have to search around a bit. Anyway, this really is a great read and it will be one of your favorites if you buy it!

The story takes place in a poor suburb in Australia where a family of six people lives. Their dad had recently hurt his back and got laid off from his job. The family needs money to buy food but their dad can't get a job so Cameron and Ruben take matters in to their own hands. At school a guy called Ruben's sister a whore so he beat the guy up. The next day a man named Perry who runs an underground boxing scam, heard about Ruben's fighting asked him and his brother to fight for him. They both agree to do it but they don't know what kind of trouble they got themselves into. Through the next few months they dodge trouble in and out of the ring but will they survive through the final round of the tournament? Or will the Ruben brothers have to fight each other, and will the Ruben family get through the money problems? This book was an exciting action packed book. Every time I picked it up I just wanted to turn the page and read on to see what happens next. The book teaches the reader a lot about family and looking out for on another, and taking care of each other. It also taught me to be thankful for what I have and to not take things for granted because there are people out there who don't have much and struggle everyday to stay alive and people who live in bad neighbor hoods who have do what ever they can for money to pay bills or rent. Overall this book was excellent and it taught a good lesson so I recommend it to anybody.

For Young Adult readers, ages 10 and up. Brothers Ruben and Cameron Wolfe growing up in the city are well adapted to their environment. Now brothers meet a man named Perry. He convinces them to join his boxing team so the kids could make money. The two brothers accept the offer because their Dad lost his job due to an injury. So the journey for them begins here. They fight though opponents and Ruben, being the older brother, feels as if he is missing something in life. Conflict begins and it's up to Cameron to help bring his brother back.

This book is for people who enjoy suspense and also enjoy reading story books. In my opinion, this is a really wonderful book. It may look like a lengthy story book, but as you get into it, pages will fly by fast. The story is breathtaking, and impressive, don't be fooled by the silly front cover.

The book I read was fighting was Fighting Ruben Wolfe. I really liked this book because it was about two boys, Ruben and Cameron Wolfe, whose family is running low on money so the boys try to find a way to make a little money. So then the boys get into boxing in a couple town clubs to get some extra cash. While training with each other they both rise in the ranks and make a couple hundred bucks. They are then scheduled to fight each other.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fighting and competition. It is full of action excitement. A strong point in this book is that a lot of people can relate to the problems in their family to the book. If I would rate this book I would rate it a 5/5. It was excellent.

Brothers and boxing. Markus Zusak comes up with a set of characters and a plot that will knock the Hardy Boys right out of the ring.

Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are brothers from a working class family in Australia who are aiming to find significance in their lives by fighting in an organized boxing racket. During the course of the book they not only receive bruises and bucks, they both learn the value of being a fighter and more importantly of what it means to be a family. This book is heartwarming and well paced with well sketched out characters....

Crazy James