Funny with plenty of twists, solid choice for your fans of [b: The Crossover|18263725|The Crossover|Kwame Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390427593s/18263725.jpg|25723388]. ( )

This book’s good qualities are that it is an easy read and it is written in a unique way that also made it fun. What I didn’t care for in this book was a lot of corny rhyming and it could be improved with more characterization. Some of the rhyming made it feel like this book was written by a middle schooler, then again, the main character is a middle schooler so maybe this was intentional. Overall it was a pleasant read. I would recommend it for young readers but as an adult I wouldn’t recommend it to any of my peers.

Simply put, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the prose and the story. It was quite a unique book, a task that is truly difficult to accomplish. I really enjoyed getting to know Levi and see how he struggled with trying to be a normal kid. I think this book would make a great addition to any classroom library. ( )

Great to pair with Jocko Willink’s Way of the Warrior Kid. A bit of a longer book because it’s a novel in verse, but the topic and vulnerability of the main character will hook young male readers in! ( )

(I got this book for free from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers.)

I haven’t read “House Arrest”, the companion book to this one, but this book was able to stand on its own. (Though reading it did make me want to read the other.) The verse format made the story trip right along, though I could have done without the occasional typographical weirdness.

There are a lot of issues in this story: a sick child who’s growing up and wants to be like other kids, a distant and unreliable father, lying to your parents and keeping secrets from them, your best friend finding a new friend she seems to like better, conflict within the family, etc. These are many issues that kids in the target age, middle school, will have to deal with, and I thought the story handled them well.

I think middle school kids of either sex, particularly ones who are interested in boxing or who have dealt with chronic illness in themselves or their families, will really like this book. ( )