Customer Reviews

Zipped

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When i first started reading this book, i admit, i wasn't really interested. I felt it took a little too long to get the plot going, so i put it down. Then about 2 weeks later i went on vacation and decided to take it with me. I'm so glad now that i made the descion to pick it up and read it again. I love this book because even though the begining is slow, when i was done with the book, i appreciated that the authors had taken the time to give me some backround on the characters so that i would understand their problems and fall inlove with their personalities. This book definitly gives you many twists and turns and the plot is defintitly the best i have read in a long time. The book has suspence, romance, thrill and the feeling that this is reality and it might actually happen in the real world. I highlt reccommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great read!!!! :)

Interesting story, but not extremely well done. It was a little long in parts and teaches that its okay to keep huge secrets like infidelity in marriage or vandalizing cars and in the end everything will be hunky dory.

I like this book because it is so real. I think this can really happen in real life situation and that this why I love this book because he doesn't know what to do and what would he do if he told somebody? Mick was my favorite character because he is just a fifteen- years old and that he was on the computer he read a email about his step mom was having an affair. Mick always keep an eye for his mom and that keeping the secret safe so he wont tell his dad. His step mom Nora was always giving him things to do and like making him busy so she would do her own things and stuff.

More in the book Mick tries to find some clue about his step mom and try who is the mystery guy is?

This book always keep you up on top of your feet but I had fun read it. It was slow at the beginning but it made it self get better and better. One of my favorite part is when he was in his room think what would he do? Would he tell or No? if I was in his situation I would tell my dad or just tell her straight up what was she doing and stuff. I wouldn't just spy on her because u maybe can find more things about her and stuff.

This book is Great so read it.

"Zipped" was a good if peculiar book. It was written in the third person from the points of view of the main character and several of the supporting characters. That was slightly annoying in that you never knew exactly where you were or what was happening till you read a few sentences, but it was also nice `cause it allowed the stories to, kind of, `meanwhile' with each other a little. "Zipped" is mostly a story about Mick's love life, or, sometimes in the story, lack there of, and the parts of the other characters' lives that correspond with Mick in some way. There wasn't that much storyline but the little that there was, was amusing. It's a good book for a weekend when you have nothing better to do, it's not a great page turner but it will hold your attention if you are otherwise bored.

Fifteen-year-old Mick Nichols opens the wrong file on his computer and discovers that his beloved stepmother is having an affair! He can barely stand to look at her and keeps the copied file on a disk, zipped to the inside of his jacket.

Mick has been close to his stepmother Nora ever since she married his father. They would talk or work on household projects together and were good friends. Soon he is able to see that she is lying about where she is going at night when his father works late. She is also encouraging Mick to take a job as a groundskeeper that will keep him very busy --- and away from home.

Who could her boyfriend be? As Mick begins to piece together clues about who the mystery man is, he fears that he will never have a good relationship with his stepmother again. Who can he turn to for help? Certainly not his father, and he's not ready to confront Nora yet. Mick remembers how devastated his father was when his mother left the family when Mick was little.

In the meantime, he learns that a gorgeous college girl and another girl he has a major crush on are nothing like he imagined. Myra Vidal, the college girl, looks to Mick as a confidant for her many issues. Lisa, his crush, comes from a Mormon family and also works at the same place where Mick works. Parts of the novel follow her story, and readers will see her path begin to merge with Mick's.

Characters in this book are exciting in that they have many layers, making the plot both suspenseful and realistic. A great read!

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Emily Matheny


ZIPPED
Laura and Tom McNeal

1.) Mick Nichols, Lisa Doyle, Myra Vidal, Nora Mercer- Nichols, and "Alexander Selkirk".

DYNAMIC:
Mick Nichols was a dynamic character in this book. In the first chapter he made a discovery that changed his life that would be devastating for any person, let alone a teenager. This caused him to mature in many ways. From the beginning he was your average teenage boy who then turned into the teenager that every parent dreads. Never home, not open for communication, and everything else that goes along with the teenage stage. Later in the book he started to grow instead of descend. By the end he had gained trust back for his family, became more independent, and was a lot more considerate towards others.

Lisa Doyle- Lisa Doyle was also a dynamic character. Over one summer she fell in love with an older friend, developed a crush on neighborhood boy, and also had to keep secret that her best friend was dating an older guy that she herself did not approve of. Under these circumstances Lisa was put under a lot of pressure. She went through many changes some made her a better person and some evens that made her change even broke her heart. By the end of this book Lisa was still the same person but in a better way. She ends up dating Mick who was her neighborhood crush and has a whole new outlook on the world.

Myra Vidal- When Myra first enters this book; you really just get the impression of her being your average "college partier". It seems as if she has no intentions just to be a tease. As you read farther into the book you find out a lot more about her. Myra struggles with her orientation and what other people and the person that she loves may think. Mick becomes one of her best friends and really just a friend to talk to about her problems. She never does tell her friend the way that she feels in fear of ruining all friendship but she does reveal to Mick and this made her a stronger person.

Nora Mercer- Nichols- Honestly, within this first chapter of this book I could tell that I was not going to be a big fan of this character. She cheats on Mick's father and goes behind his back. I found her to be a cold hearted person because I didn't see how a person could do this to a family. Mick found out and this hurt him in many ways. Towards the end of the book it started to reveal more about how she felt towards the situation. She knew what she had done was wrong and she did feel bad but she was also torn apart by the man that had hurt her and also caused her to hurt her family. In the end the Nichols family grew closer and Nora make a more caring person and more aware of the feelings of others.

STATIC:
"Alexander Selkirk"- Alexander was better known as Tony Crusco was a static character. He was the type of person that I consider extremely hard to change. He was a teacher at Mick's school that lead on many woman. One of them just so happened to be Nora (Mick's stepmother). He started out being a jerk and through out the book you learn more stories about him and his personal life that lead you to only have more animosity towards him. In the end of the book he ends up moving to Louisiana. His goal was to make a fresh start in another state...I am assuming probably the same start instead of one for the better.

2.) The setting of this novel is based in a small town. Everyone lives near each other and the high school is in walking distance to most of the students. There was a small Village named The Village Greens Seniors' Community. A lot of the book took place here. It was a summer job that Mick, Lisa, and a friend of hers name Janice all shared. Many incidents took place here and this is where most of the climax developed. Without this setting a lot of the book's plot wouldn't have been useable. I think that the setting brought a lot to the book and made it a lot more interesting and suspenseful

3.) The main theme to this book is "coming of age". I think that in this book every single dynamic character ends up growing up in many ways. When it comes to Mick it was how he dealt with his stepmother cheating on his father. Myra had to become comfortable with her orientation. Lisa had to realize that first love was just a crush and could only be a crush. Nora had to come to the conclusion that what she was doing was wrong and that she needed to be a better person. All characters grew for the better.

4.) The main scene from the book that affected me was in chapter one were Mick found e~mails on his computer proving that his step mother was cheating on his father. For each different person I felt a different emotion. I was disgusted towards Nora and her choices that she had made in life. Then for Nick I couldn't help but pondering the situation. What if that were me? What would I do? I actually went to bed that night after reading it and I couldn't even imagine the emotions that I would be undergoing finding out such horrifying news. The last emotion I felt was sympathy. Mick's father was completely oblivious to the whole state of affairs. No pun intended. I couldn't imagine your life partner cheating on you...and then the fact that you don't even know it boggles me even more.

5.) When it comes to the climax, there were actually more than one. There are two authors and the way that the6.)y write their books is actually fascinating. The chapters actually rotate back in forth between characters. The first climax was when Mick found the files on the internet. Another climax was when Janice Bledsoe's lover was found guilty of being a thief. Also a high point was when Myra revealed to Nick that she had feelings for girls. Within this story there were many different peaks. There are many stories going on at once so it is almost as if you are reading 5 books at a time!

6.) When it comes to recommendations this book, without a doubt would be in my top 5 list to advise other people to read. The two authors team up together combining the thoughts of two brains, different opinions, and double the passion. They use actual feedback from teens making the stories more realistic and efficient with the society today while keeping it so that in the next twenty years people will still understand the references to television, movies, clothes and also music. This book was based on a true story. People always find learning about other peoples' life stories intriguing so this story would fit right along those lines. Along with this book I would also suggest reading another book of theirs titled CROOKED. It as well like ZIPPED, is a very captivating story that I enjoyed and I think other teens or people of any age would feel the same.

I loved reading this book. For many reasons. First off, I liked Mick, the main character. I really just liked him for who he was. I also liked Lisa. It's not often that I really like a character, outside of the plot. Besides that, the story pulled you in and you really cared what was going to happen. It was realistic but it wasn't depressing, like most "realistic" books these days.
Another plus is the more I think about it, the better I like and appreciate it, where as a lot of times the more I think about a book, the stupider it seems. It truly is an excellent book and I look forward to reading more by the McNeals.

This book was on of the best books i've have ever read. I am 13 and i don't read that much, but when i started this book i just couldn't put it down. I usually don't read books of this type but my friend said I'd like it so i tried it and loved it. I recommended it to all my friends and almost all of them loved it. If you aren't into reading you will still love this book. At least pick it up and try it out. You should love it.

Wow. This book was one of my all-time favorites. After reading Laura and Tom McNeal's first book, Crooked, I thought that it would be nearly impossible for them to top it. But I was very wrong. Many different peoples' lives are focused on, creating an opportunity for many surprises towards the end. Almost immediately after the book starts, Mick (the main character) is faced with a problem which draws us, the readers, in and makes us sympathize with him. It is amazing how all of the characters' problems are tied in just by the common thread of where they all work. Another masterpiece by the McNeals...

I read a lot of books that i never finish because i lose interest after the first 100 pages but this one i couldnt put down! Zipped started out a bit slow but by the time i got about 15 pages into it i was hooked! If everybook were like Zipped I'd read a whole lot more!