Twelve Days in August [Library Binding]

Liza Ketchum (Author), Liza Ketchum Murrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993

Twelve days in August change a sixteen-year-old soccer player's perceptions of himself, his family, girls, and gays.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For 16-year-old Todd O'Conner, the summer has been relatively carefree, what with sexy Kai for a girlfriend and an auspicious year ahead playing varsity soccer. But upsets occur when Alex and his beautiful twin, Rita, move to Todd's Vermont town. Todd's attracted to Rita--and Kai notices. Meanwhile, Alex turns out to be a star soccer player--and another teammate, Randy, up to now the coach's favorite, gets nervous about his own position and decides to blackball Alex. Randy says Alex is a "faggot" and that "anyone who even looks at Alex is a fag." Todd, like the others on the team, follows Randy's lead, albeit with misgivings. Eventually, though, he concludes that Alex really is gay and avoids him, because "being gay is weird." Then the (unsurprising) truth about a favorite uncle emerges, and Todd reexamines his prejudices. Murrow ( Fire in the Heart , also about the O'Conners) starts off well, commanding attention with her engaging, high-caliber writing. But Todd's personal dramas lose their impact; and Alex's sexuality remains unconfirmed, an evasion that shortchanges the reader. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

With terrific pacing and a real sense of what makes people tick, Murrow translates current issues into a flesh-and-blood story of high-school sports, relationships, and homophobia. Twins Alex and Rita move into Todd's Vermont town just as soccer practice begins. In the days before the first scrimmage, the entire team is affected by Alex's obvious athletic skill. Todd finds himself admiring the newcomer; another player, Randy, is intimidated by his talent--and also by his suspected homosexuality. By name-calling (fag, lover boy) and scheming (bullying other players into isolating Alex on the field so that he can't score), Randy hopes to force his rival to quit. Todd also becomes a target of taunts and of his own insecurity; in an outburst of machismo, he almost gets himself and his girlfriend killed in a car accident. On the outskirts of this muddle is Todd's Uncle Gordo, a near-stereotype of normality, who for the first time informs his nephew of his own relationship with longtime partner Gary. The complexities of the plot never get in the way of Murrow's careful scrutiny of human nature; while leaving a number of subplots realistically unresolved, she gives Todd his own triumphant way out. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 202 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823410129
• ISBN-13: 978-0823410125
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,710,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Shawn's Review, October 24, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twelve Days in August (Paperback)

Todd O'Cconer is a junior in high school and he plays soccer. There's a new kid that moves in from California and he's really good. Randy was the leading scorer on last years varsity team and he's worried that the new kid Alex will take his spot at right wing. Randy isn't very found of Alex. SO Todd is stuck in the middle of it while Todd's having a problem with Randy because Randy is hitting on Todd's girlfriend Kai. Kai was having a party and Todd was upset because he wasn't invited and he shows up in his Uncle Gordo's brand new BMW and Ranndy aggs Todd to follow him witch Randy really doesn't want him to, so Todd tells Ka i to get into the BMW and Todd takes off and follows Randy and Todd TAkes a turn to faast and Randy parked his truck right after the turn and Todd barely misses him and runs off the road barely misses a tree buyt accidently put a big scratch in his Uncles car. THis book is really good and very exciting. I think it is a good book to read for a book report.

2.0 out of 5 stars Shawn's Review, October 24, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twelve Days in August (Paperback)

Todd O'Cconer is a junior in high school and he plays soccer. There's a new kid that moves in from California and he's really good. Randy was the leading scorer on last years varsity team and he's worried that the new kid Alex will take his spot at right wing. Randy isn't very found of Alex. SO Todd is stuck in the middle of it while Todd's having a problem with Randy because Randy is hitting on Todd's girlfriend Kai. Kai was having a party and Todd was upset because he wasn't invited and he shows up in his Uncle Gordo's brand new BMW and Ranndy aggs Todd to follow him witch Randy really doesn't want him to, so Todd tells Ka i to get into the BMW and Todd takes off and follows Randy and Todd TAkes a turn to faast and Randy parked his truck right after the turn and Todd barely misses him and runs off the road barely misses a tree buyt accidently put a big scratch in his Uncles car. THis book is really good and very exciting. I think it is a good book to read for a book report.

5.0 out of 5 stars Katie's thoughts about the book., February 10, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twelve Days in August (Paperback)

This book was really exiciting. I think it was a suspensing book. I mean there was always something happening and you just can't wait to see what happens to them. I thilnk it is a really great book and people should read it more often. I think the author Liza Ketchum Murrow is really good at making books and she should make more like Twelve Days in Augusts. And those are my personal thoughts about the book and the author. But I really thought this was a really really good book and a lot more people should read it just for fun I mean, because it describes a lot of people's lives, if you think about it a while. Theres a bully, sports, a new kid whose really good at soccer. In the book soccer is the #1 sport. But the coach has'nt made the calls yet, so the bully is very mad that he might take his spot on the field. So he does everything in his might to destroy the new kid. But in the end they become god enough friends. And thats pretty much the whole book.