Missing the Piano [Paperback]

Adam Rapp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2002

Just last week, Michael Tegoff was a normal fifteen-year-old guy.

He was looking forward to the new school year and planning to try out for the basketball team. Then his father and stepmother dumped him at St. Matthew's Military Academy.

St. Matthew's calls itself a place "where boys become men," but mike doesn't want to be the kind of man St Mathew's wants to make him. The cadets are bullies, the rules make no sense, and Mike's only recourse is to just hang on tight and try not to forget there's a real world out past the school walls...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in a all-boys military academy, this debut novel is "promising but not entirely successful," said PW. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Mike, who is looking forward to trying out for his high school basketball team, has his world turned upside down by a chain of events that occurs after his younger sister gets a part in the road show of Les Miserables. Since their mother must travel with Alice, Mike is sent to live with his father, whose second wife wants no part of this new arrangement. The boy suddenly finds himself enrolled in St. Matthew's Military Academy, a boarding school ``where boys become men.'' Rapp portrays the school as an extremely bleak place where abuse and bigotry are constants. Mike is continually badgered, bullied, and bloodied, even on the basketball court, the one place he hoped to find refuge. His black roommate is expelled after physically confronting one of his tormenters, but Mike hangs on, largely because he has no where else to go. The ending offers a glimmer of hope but doesn't dismiss any of Mike's ongoing problems. Rapp produces an above-average read, showing a knack for sustaining the tense mood of the story. The subplot involving the racially motivated hazing is a bit weak. The character development of the cadets who display the blatant bigotry is slight, offering readers no insight into their actions. The language throughout is sharp and raw, and a number of mature situations are presented. All in all, a dark story that leaves plenty of room for a sequel.-Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (March 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064473694
• ISBN-13: 978-0064473699
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,911,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good insider report, January 2, 2003

By 

Preppy Jock (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing the Piano (Paperback)

He used the word "kid" a lot. It seems that it is the trend these days for teeangers to call other teenagers kids. It gets a little annoying after you start reading it.

I think that he did a good job describing the actual life in a military school. I used to think that it would be cool to live in a military school. His book has changed my mind.

I don't think that the book title fits with the actual content very well. And there is really no climax in this book. It seems that he may actually write part II.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!, June 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing the Piano (Paperback)

I loved this book. It was fast-paced, and very funny. The main charcter was believable, and you sympathized with him throughout the novel as he struggled to make the best of a bad situation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, extraordinary, and endlessly interesting, April 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing the Piano (Paperback)

This book showcases a brilliant new author who we will be hearing much more from in the future. I found the story to be compelling and believable, told with both grit and humor. Kudos for Adam Rapp!