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The Real Question [Hardcover]

Adrian Fogelin (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Price: $15.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

11 and up6 and up
When Fish tries to escape from the responsibilities of his overachieving life, he gains a new understanding of the dangers of neglecting his connections and commitments to others.
For Fisher Brown, bearing the responsibility for the well-being and happiness of the people around him is a heavy burden to shoulder. Not long after his mother's sudden departure, Fisher lost interest in school and was well on his way to becoming a classic underachiever at school. But now-under the strict supervision of his high school counselor father-he is jockeying for position at the top of his high school class. It's a challenging role, and one he has doubts about. But as long as Fisher single-mindedly prepares for college and practices for the SATs, he can keep his father happy.
So when Fisher meets Lonnie Traynor, whose rootless, carefree existence is so markedly different from his own, he is drawn to his take-life-as-it-comes attitude. Lonnie easily cons him into accompanying him on a weekend outing that turns into an extended road trip. But Lonnie's footloose ways reveal a troubled man with a long history of letting down the people he loves. As Fisher becomes an unwitting participant in Lonnie's hapless adventure, he begins to rethink what it means to be responsible for other people. In the end Fisher finds his way home as well as a way to redefine his own complex relationships.


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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–Fisher Brown is a typical overachiever, stressed out about his grades and his future. His compulsive father, who happens to be his guidance counselor, leaves index cards with pointers around his room, such as, read above and below target area. When the 16-year-old encounters Lonny Traynor lounging on a discarded sofa in the street, he wonders why he can't live the easy life, too. Lonny delights him with stories of dropping out of school, getting tattoos, and traveling the world. When he invites Fish to join him in doing a roofing job for a friend over the weekend, the teen sees an opportunity for adventure, and they hop on a Greyhound bus. The friend turns out to be the mother of Lonny's son, Charlie. Fish finds himself helping her make ends meet, fixing up the house, and being a role model for the child. He stays longer than planned, but needs to get back to school before he's in trouble. Despite his disappointment in Lonny's character, Fish learns to do the right thing and to help his new friends in need. He sets a good example for students who can get so stressed about school that they forget that other people have problems, too. Fellow overachievers will relate to Fisher's drive to help his new friends, and will be satisfied when he finds a way to work out his own problems as well. A short, satisfying lesson in caring.–Jane Cronkhite, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Readers will empathize with the engaging young man who, without a guidebook, sorts through life's real questions." --Kirkus Reviews
"A short, satisfying lesson in caring." --School Library Journal
"Fogelin delivers another smart tale...Fisher's delightfully telegraphed epiphanies, the funny, harrowing road trip, and a satisfying showdown with Dad yield a novel that may well appeal to teens of both sexes." --Publishers Weekly
"This amazing title is a perfect 'guy book', and should be required reading for every teen, male or female, who feels the weight of a parent's expectations but cannot quite figure out what to do about it." --VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)


Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  • Hardcover: 234 pages
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (October 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1561453838
  • ISBN-13: 978-1561453832
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,342,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Adrian Fogelin is the daughter of fiction writer, Maria Bontempi Fogelin, and grew up in a house littered with manuscripts. A slow early reader Fogelin took in stories as her mother read aloud, and in the lively exchange of family tales, giving her writing the freshness of the spoken word.

She is the author of seven novels for middle-grade and young adult readers, including the hugely popular "Crossing Jordan," and has won numerous awards including two Florida Book Award gold medals.

Although she might not pass the "Are you really a grownup?" test, Fogelin definitely gets kids, from the way they talk to the things they yearn for. She is a frequent visitor to schools and libraries all over the counry where she shares her love of writing and story.

 

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 6, 2007
This review is from: The Real Question (Hardcover)
Study, study, study. Fisher Brown is a junior in high school and his life consists of studying. Son of the high school guidance counselor, Fisher feels the pressure to excel in academics.

Ever since the day Walt Brown's wife left and never came home, he has focused his life on doing the best for his son. He leaves inspirational sticky notes everywhere, and urges Fisher to make every effort count. "THE BIG DAY" is coming up - the SAT test - and he considers it Fisher's ticket to a scholarship and an Ivy League school.

A week before the SAT, Fisher's grandmother is scheduled to be moved into a nursing home. Mr. Brown agrees that Fisher should stay at home and study while he takes care of the move. He knows Fisher is dependable and can take care of himself over the weekend and get himself to school the following week, so he can concentrate on getting Grandmother moved.

However, no one counted on Fisher meeting Lonny, a drifter whose brother lives next door to the Brown's. When Fisher's dad leaves on his trip, Lonny invites Fisher to take the weekend off from studying to help him with a little project. The two take off by Greyhound bus on what Lonny promises to be an adventure.

THE REAL QUESTION takes Fisher on an amazing and at times dangerous journey. His experience, although taking him away from home, helps him learn more about himself, his dad, and perhaps see another side to the mother who left years ago. Adrian Fogelin's writing is filled with humor, emotion, and heartwarming characters that make the story truly remarkable. This is a book well worth having in any collection.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
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