Pinned ANNOTATION
Dealing with family problems, girls, and their own competitive natures, high school seniors Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane face each other in the final match of the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane couldn't be more different--they come from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, and they have very different values and ways of looking at the world and dealing with people. Yet they both have the drive, determination, and commitment to self-sacrifice necessary to become a champion. In the end, though, only one will stand in the center of the mat with his arms raised in victory.
Has each boy prepared enough? Sacrificed enough? Does each want to win enough? All the training, pain, running, and cutting weight ultimately comes down to a few short minutes on a wrestling mat--leaving one boy the victor, the other devastated.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Martino takes readers inside the dramatic world of wrestling in this gritty debut novel that winningly parallels the struggles of competing for a state athletic title and of becoming a man. Seniors Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane are among the top high school wrestlers in New Jersey, and both boys will give everything to walk away with the top prize. Endless hours of intense training, strict "weight cutting" (a strategy for dropping to a lower weight-class) and general sacrifice fill their days. Life away from the mat isn't much easier. Quick to fly off the handle, Ivan is still reeling from his mother's recent death and bristles at his overworked father's cool manner. Bobby is emotionally tense and protective of his younger brother as their parents' bitter fights lead to a separation. And both Ivan and Bobby experience the typical surge of teenage hormones and first love. Though they couldn't be more different, their worlds intersect when their paths lead them to the mat in a final match for the state title. Martino's pacing bogs down in the details in a couple spots and Bobby's relationship with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks borders on clich . But wrestling fans will appreciate the precise description of the moves, and the discovery of each competitor's back story makes the sports angle that much more compelling. However, readers may be disappointed that they do not get to witness the fight for the title. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-Alternating story lines converge to introduce two very different, talented but flawed high school athletes whose sports careers peak when they meet in the finals of the 129-pound division of the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship. Bobby's dad is a lawyer, his mom a successful real-estate agent. He attends an affluent suburban school with a winning wrestling tradition and a first-class coach. As his season progresses, Bobby blossoms, becoming smooth, quick, and strong. Ivan, in contrast, mourns his recently deceased mother, chafes under the thumb of his old-school Polish papa, and seethes with unspoken anger. He is an outcast even on his own team, a brutish and intimidating force on the mat. Despising his coach, Ivan pins his hopes on a scholarship to take him far away from his depressing blue-collar town. Ivan adores Shelley, the devoted girl next door, while Bobby lusts after Carmelina, whom he met at the mall. Bobby gets her pregnant, which, along with the breakup of his parents' marriage, adds stress to his already taxed, starved, driven body. There is an uneven quality to the writing, which, like the athletes and the language they use, is a bit raw. But the portrayal of the dedication required and the varied motivations of student athletes is certainly on target. Many teens will identify with the boys' struggles both on and off the mat. Some readers may be irritated at the inconclusive, yet perhaps inevitable, ending, but this book is really about getting to the finals.-Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Unsparing and told with such visceral acuity that the reader can almost feel the burn of the mat, author Martino meticulously details the kind of guts it takes to get the glory. Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane, two determined high-school wrestlers from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum, give it everything they've got as they prepare to compete for the New Jersey State championship. Narrated from alternating points of view, the two boys must face the grueling physical and mental challenges of the sport while dealing with academics, college admissions and various personal problems. Bobby, who watches helplessly as his wealthy parents' marriage disintegrates, must cope with his girlfriend's possible pregnancy. Ivan, who is grief-stricken due the recent death of his mother, struggles with his emerging feelings for his pretty neighbor and battles over college choice with his taciturn but strong-willed laborer father. As the championship match nears, the story becomes increasingly gripping, but it has a disappointingly unresolved ending, a daring but ultimately failed move that leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. (Fiction. 12-14)
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