While these books were not as fantastic as The Book Thief or I am the Messenger, they were still pretty fabulous. I believe Markus Zusak a writter with the heart of a poet. I love the expressiveness of his characters. It might be said to be a little over the top, but if you've ever been a teenager there is nothing more over the top. ( )

While these books were not as fantastic as The Book Thief or I am the Messenger, they were still pretty fabulous. I believe Markus Zusak a writter with the heart of a poet. I love the expressiveness of his characters. It might be said to be a little over the top, but if you've ever been a teenager there is nothing more over the top. ( )

I was working my way through all of Markus Zusak's books. I started with this one, but I had a really hard time getting through it. The writing style bothered me and I just didn't connect with the first story. I read some reviews of the book and saw someone say that the second story was their favorite so I thought I'd work my way through the second story. I definitely enjoyed the second story a lot more than the first one. The third one is better than the first one but not as good as the second one. I don't think I'd recommend this book, but maybe it just wasn't for me and others would enjoy it more than I did. ( )

Underdogs is an omnibus volume of Markus Zusak;s three novels about the Wolfe brothers, Ruben and young narrator Cameron.

The first novel - The Underdog - is noticeably the weakest of the three, and was in fact Zusak's first novel. There's really little to say about it, except that so little happens in it that I am a bit surprised that it was even published. It basically sets the stage for the two novels that follow.

But it is followed by Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and that is a horse of another (extremely vivid) color. Ruben and Cameron, perennial losers and screw-ups, are recruited by an organizer of illegal boxing matches, and suddenly Ruben is no longer a loser like his little brother. As Ruben's successful bouts mount up, Cameron 's worries increase - his brother is turning into someone he can hardly recognize. The denouement made my eyes burn and my throat hurt - and I'm not sure if it was the emotional punches or the physical ones that affected me most.

Getting The Girl, the third novel, is a satisfying closer to the series. I loved the intensely loyal, love-lorn Cameron, and I loved the relationship between the two boys.

So bottom line: read The Underdog if you like a nice long setup before you get to the meat of the story; otherwise, skip straight to Fighting Ruben Wolfe and go on from there. You won't be sorry you did. ( )

I was real excited to get all 3 books in one and I wasn't disappointed. In the first book we get to know the Wolfe family especially Cameron and his brother Ruben. Each book deals with the family dynamics if this family and you see Cameron grow both mentally and emotionally. There are no big plots to these books just simply life and how this family deals with it. A very good read. ( )