Home of the Braves [Paperback]

David Klass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2004

That was the truth I came to in that long and frozen moment. This was my life. Not the life of any of the people around me, clamoring for blood, but mine. I had to make the decision, and I had to make it now, or it would be made for me.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Klass (You Don't Know Me) throws a lot at his protagonist, Joe, a suburban New Jersey high school senior who is captain of his school's losing soccer team, the Braves. While Joe is sympathetic, the unclear trajectory of the narrative and predictable outcomes will likely discourage readers. "The Phenom," a Brazilian soccer player, transfers in, becomes the star of Joe's team and wins over Kris, Joe's longtime crush, and Joe is understandably upset. After the Phenom injures a football player in a fight, tensions spark between the "hard [i.e., muscular] guys," football players mostly bused in from Bankside, and the soccer team (and eventually between Bankside and local kids), but Joe plays by teen rules, keeping silent to authorities even after bullies beat up his best friend, Ed the Mouse. Heightened security at school and the next attack on the Mouse, compounded by a falling out with Kris, add to Joe's mounting stress. In the end, he must decide whether to fight hard guy Slade, a decision presented as pivotal to shaping his future. The story unfolds very slowly, and the Phenom's role in the book is surprisingly marginal; it's easy to lose track of him occasionally amid Joe's other crises. Some of the plotting, like Joe's unlikely interview for an educational boating expedition, steers this story off course, and even the Phenom's dark secret seems lackluster. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Suburban New Jersey's Lawndale High School is plagued with old rivalries, cliques, bullies, and systems that fail to address these problems. Joe Brickman, captain of the soccer and wrestling teams, is trying to find the courage to ask Kristine, his best friend since childhood, out on a date. When a Brazilian soccer star arrives as a transfer student, upsetting the peer-imposed social mores, Joe develops the strength and maturity to handle much more than that. The football thugs loom over Lawndale, requiring marked students to bow their heads when the players pass through the halls. Antonio, totally self-assured and able to defend himself one-on-one, scoffs at the system. When Joe tries to explain how things work, the newcomer is rude and condescending. Joe's nerdy buddy "Mouse" is also marked by the jocks and refuses to play the game. When violence erupts, the administration responds with a zero-tolerance policy. Intervention comes in the form of bars on windows, metal detectors, video monitors, and police in the halls. At a town meeting, parents point fingers, blaming the old issue of busing in students from the wrong side of the tracks, and a near-riot ensues. Antonio sweeps Kristine off her feet; Joe's father hits on every pretty woman in town; Kris's cruel comments force Joe to examine his future prospects; and an inevitable confrontation between him and the bullies' ringleader are just a few of the strands in this multilayered story. Klass's characters are, for the most part, believable teens searching for answers to complex societal and individual issues.
Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060531711
• ISBN-13: 978-0060531713
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soccer, September 10, 2004

By 

sam - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home of the Braves (Hardcover)

"Legend has it that Lawndale High is HAUNTED!" Joe Brickman, aka Brickhead, is the captain of the Lawndale soccer team. One day this guy just shows up at the school. His name is Antonio Silva, although everyone calls him "the Phenom." He "was" a Brazilian soccer star. No one knows why he is here at Lawndale. Joe's best friend Kris decides that she would rather hand out with "the Phenom" instead of hanging out with her friends. Read "Home of the Braves" to see how the story unfolds.

Soccer fans, this is the book for you. This book deals with a bad soccer team who gets transformed into a great soccer team. This book shows how one person can make a difference in sports and after school relationships.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Home of the braves, September 30, 2007

By 

m&m77 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home of the Braves (Paperback)

It was a very good book, and I couldn't put it down. But after I finish, it just seemed to be missing something. If you've ever had that problem, you know what I mean. But I still recommend the book, it is very good.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, September 26, 2006

By 

T. Bloom "Bloomer" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home of the Braves (Paperback)

The Home Of the Braves is a great book. It is great for tennager and also people who play soccer. I couldnt put the book down.