Leo T. reviewed on 7/16/2014 + 1775 more book reviews

Very well written and easy to read for interested youth. I read a couple of chapters while waiting in line at the Post Office to mail books to fulfill PBSwap requests and decided to read it all against future use in a reading circle. It is a little young for the gals and guys I work with who want to improve their reading skills (and realize at age 15, 16, 17 that they will be soon out in the cold, cruel world--wonderful motivation). We read half the book and discuss, followed by the second half, the students learning to become engages a bit in their reading. In truth we mostly meet only twice and work with chapters from non-fiction books such as HRM so some pointers can be offered and they can see that they can handle any subject in junior college, but YA books are a lot of fun and available on every sort of dilemma imaginable.
Theo, the protagonist, is the son of a couple that practice law together, she in family court, and he in a general practice. He seems popular with his peers despite it being 'well known' that he'd rather hang out at the court house than play video games, baseball, etc. There is a lot to discuss, including his guts in facing the presiding judge to get permission for his class to attend the first day of a trial, the problem of inducing an illegal alien to come forth with key testimony, why girls may do better when taking classes without boys, the Perry Mason TV show in the 1950s creating an expectation among jurors that the guilty party would stand up and confess, etc.
Although Theo interacts a lot with women and girls, it is stated upfront (page 7) that he and none of his 13 year old classmates like girls and vice-versa, which is not believable, although later the author says they flirt during passing period. YA books that are just guys are not realistic and make it difficult for me when working with a mixed group, which is the best way to do this. (And fun. Even if you are a gal that cares little about baseball you can enjoy interacting with four or five guys, some hopefully cute, and get off a few zingers about the way teen guys act). So a book about a guy on the wrestling team, with a part-time job, and cranking out the homework to keep his grades up is much better if he has a girlfriend who is doing likewise while on the track team.
Still, this is a nice read.

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