I thought this book was good it was a little boring in the beginning, but the end was exciting when the puzzle pieces were coming all together from all of the incidents that were happening, and that paul was finally relieving the truth. ( )

Almost didn't read this one. Going into it I thought it was going to be some sort of paranormal soccer story - based on the cover art and the back cover blurb. However, I am so glad I gave this one a try. iit is so much more than a soccer story; it's a story of triumph over adversity on multiple levels.

Was it effective? One student rated the book: 5 The book was extremely effective for the Teen Problem Book project. The other: 2 The book was somewhat effective for the Teen Problem Book project.

Was it good? 4 The book was good. 5 The book was excellent . I enjoyed it.

Comments? I would recommend this book because it has many problems. The problems are also overly dramatic making it easy for the reader to identify the issues.
It's a good book, but it is difficult to find appropriate problems. I recommend that you just read it for fun. ( )

When Paul and his family move to Tangerine, FL strange things start to happen. Lightening kills a teenage boy during a football game practice, people's houses are being broken into, and Paul's middle school sinks into a sinkhole. Paul also finds himself struggling to remember how his eyes became so damaged. Paul is a definite underdog and readers will have no trouble relating with him as he struggles to get his family to pay attention to him and play on the soccer team. There are several different plot lines that all converge very well into a climatic ending. The setting of the town Tangerine is very important to the story and Bloor does a great job of describing the problems the residents experience because their housing complex was built on top of burnt Tangerine groves. There are themes of bullies, retribution, the environment, and family throughout the book. The book is written in a first person narrative and is a little hard to get into at the beginning. However, after the first 30 pages or so, the reader will find the book very fast paced. Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries and sport stories. It may especially appeal to readers who have an older brother who they do not get along with. Recommended. ( )

This is a real life look at topics relevant to middle school and teenage students: team work, social classes, prejudice, bravery, and honesty. Written in a sort of diary form, the narrator, Paul Fisher, a middle school student, is able to "tell it like it is," and his perspectives of the situations he observes are briliiant and thought provoking. The heoric end is a lesson well learned for young adult readers.