Smith, A. (2013). Winger. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Summary: Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year old at
a boarding school who plays on the rugby team, and is nicknamed Winger for his wing
position speed. He is also academically
gifted and has skipped two grades making him the youngest member of his junior
class. After stealing a teacher's cell
phone, he is sent to the dorm for troublemakers and assigned to room with Chas
Palmer, another rugby player who Ryan Dean initially despises. Ryan Dean has a crush on his best
friend, Annie, but she is two years older and thinks of him as just an adorable
little boy. He then starts a secret relationship with Chas' girlfriend Megan,
all the while trying to woo Annie, creating a love triangle. Ryan Dean's best
friend is Joey, who has admitted to being gay. After a rugby game, Kevin,
another player on the team, is stabbed by Mike who was seeking revenge on Joey
for dating his brother. Ryan Dean
eventually tells Megan he can no longer see her, and arranges a date with Annie
to convince her that she can love him.
They all attend a Halloween party, and Joey announces that Casey, one of
the bullies in school, is gay. The
next day they cannot find Joey, and a search party is sent out whereby Joey is
found in the woods beaten to death. Casey and his roommate Nick are found to be
the murderers. In the end, Ryan Dean, Chas and Kevin are friends, and while
Ryan Dean is still young, he realizes how much he has matured during the year
and that love is what matters in life.
Commentary: Ryan Dean is the narrator of this fictional story
using believable if somewhat crude juvenile dialog and humor, weaving current
and past events together. The book
contains comic drawings, sketches and diagrams by Ryan Dean to help visualize
the events in the story and his inner thoughts. The plot was stereotypical of teenage boy's life up until
the unexpected murder of his best friend, ending the book with a shock factor. This book is written for the 9th
to 12th grades, and boys in particular should like it for its
realistic and humorous descriptions of boyhood sexual desires, the sports
theme, and machoism. This book should not be recommended for younger than high
school due to the profanity and violence. There is a good lesson about self-esteem
and acceptance.
Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux35quSH4lk
No comments:
Post a Comment