I really enjoyed this book. I didn`t mind the cussing it made the story more real. A good look inside how yung men feel and struggle going through life
It`s not as good as the joker or bookthief but still a very powerfull and emotional book. ( )

A fantastic look into lonerism in teenaged boys and what its like to long for love from a male perspective. Brilliant, Genius!
Can't fault except to say that I hate the name change.
Other than that I have to say Markus Zusak himself is a lovely and humble man who not only is a literary genius but still takes the time to listen to his readers.
Beautiful. ( )

Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak - Cameron isn't as cool, buff, or dynamic as his brothers but even as he acknowledges his weaknesses he sees possibilities for friendship and love. Not bad, a rough and tumble family.

On my "to be read" shelves is "the Book Thief" by Zusak. I'm not entirely sure where/why I picked it up, but there it is, 3000miles away waiting to be read. But here I am, at my parents' in Virginia, what's a girl to do? How about pick up a summer job as a high school summer school librarian? Oh, I think that's a great idea and exactly what I have done. I'm looking forward to working with the teachers and students, but mostly, I'm excited about the collection. The head librarian at this school has done an amazing job creating a collection from scratch (the school's only been open two years). I borrowed 27 books for the weekend. I know I won't read them all by Monday morning, but I plan on giving it my best effort.

First book is Getting the Girl by Zusak. I loved this book. It's about love and siblings and expectations and being who you want to be. It's perfect for teenage boys and anybody else who feels like they're not quite who they think can be, yet.

I'm booktalking with tenth graders on Monday and this will definitely be a highlight.
Originally posted July 7, 2007

Everything I've said in praise of Markus Zusak's other books is true here: wonderful poetic writing, honest raw emotion, and above all, the sense of really capturing some universal slice of life. However, this book left me with the impression that it was a pretty small slice. The book is a sequel to Fighting Ruben Wolfe (although it would stand just fine on its own), and like that, it involves the youngest brother dealing with his older siblings and becoming his own person. However, this one seems to be light on the plot - not much actually happens. What does happen, though, is rendered so recognizeably real, that it doesn't much matter that there's not more action. Almost all the forward motion is internal, through territory that everyone will remember from their own lives - although my memory was never written out so beautifully. ( )

Full of humor and the angst of growing up in the shadows of two popular brothers, this is a great story about being true to yourself and to those closest to you. My favorite laugh out loud scene was "the Miffy incident", although there are also several touching glimpses into the intimacies of building personal relationships with siblings, the opposite sex, etc. Each chapter ends with poetic entries from the main character's journal-like "writings" that reveal his inner thoughts.
This book has been on my nightstand for a long time, but I was waiting until I was in the mood for the kind of story that the cover and title implied before starting it. It took me awhile to realize that it was by the same guy who wrote "The Book Thief", which I had enjoyed reading earlier this year. I believe Zusak will soon be getting the recognition he deserves. He certainly knows how to tell a story. I plan to go out and try to find some of his other works. ( )