Joyce Sweeney (1)Reseñas

A really good story about a good hearted spelunking trip gone wrong.

Hunter’s already precarious life in foster care is severely rocked when his foster father suddenly dies. With no one else to turn to for help in a moment of anguish, Hunter prays/cries out to “St. Gabriel”, the guardian angel he remembers meeting as a very young boy right before his mother gave him away. When his prayer is answered, Hunter is grateful but more than a little taken aback. Without giving everything away, librarians should know that this book starts fairly dark (Hunter and foster siblings are abused by foster mother) and gets darker as it goes along (Hunter’s “angel” turns out to be his biological father, who objected to Hunter’s being given up for adoption/foster care and is recently paroled for the murder of Hunter’s mother.) – although it does have a relatively HEA. Fast-paced read. Recommended.

A very enjoyable book that was able to make real the interpersonal relationships and the internal conflicts of characters. It also brings alive the experience of caving and captures the gunho nature of males nicely.

This book is packed with excitement and humor.
4Q, 4P; Cover Art: Awesome!
This book is best suited for highschoolers.
It was selected due to an interest in the subject, wrestling.
Grade: 10th
DN-AHS-NC

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Hunter has been tossed around the foster care system for as long as he can remember. He was four years old when he was sent to live in a Catholic orphanage. Since then, he has lived with a series of foster families. Most recently, he's been living with Mike and Stephanie. One of four foster children, life there is pretty good. That is until Mike has a stroke and dies.

Now, Hunter is living a nightmare. When her husband died, Stephanie became a totally different person. She was always a bit controlling and sometimes got carried away with discipline, but now that Mike isn't around to keep her in check, things are getting crazy. She expects all the kids to get jobs and help with family finances. Even little five-year-old Drew is being forced to enter kiddie beauty pageants and model to bring in money. When Hunter objects to Stephanie's plan to let some strange guy photograph Drew in exchange for portfolio headshots, Stephanie severely beats Hunter.

Thinking back to Mike's funeral and the mysterious motorcycle rider who rudely interrupted the service, Hunter begins to fantasize that he has a guardian angel. The dim memory of a tall, dark stranger who appeared to him on the day he was taken from his mother and sent to the orphanage provides fuel for Hunter's growing fantasy. Is there someone looking out for him? Continued sightings of the motorcycle rider and several mysterious email messages have Hunter revisiting childhood memories of the power of prayer and religion.

In THE GUARDIAN, Sweeney creates a powerful story about the importance of love and the feeling of family. Hunter's attachment to his foster siblings has him protecting them despite risks to his own physical well-being. Sweeney forces Hunter to examine the power of family love as he confronts the mysteries of his past. The stirring emotions and edge-of-your-seat action combine to make THE GUARDIAN one of Sweeney's best.

It was about two-thirds into the book that I really started to get into the book. That was when the emotional high of Hunter finally reached its peak. Where the frustration, and so-called guardian, all came crashing down. It was exhilarating to finally see Hunter fighting back. Always the quiet and fearful one, Hunter defends himself against the one thing that held him back, his foster mother. So applause goes to Hunter for finding his hidden strength.

The characters were a bit off. I think the author portrayed the opposite ends of the spectrum at times. Either you’re the wonderful goody little two shoes, or the badass villain. It was, however, the emotional appeal that was the most compelling. The heartache of never truly fitting it, feeling like utter crap being passed around through families. The unknown of your actual birth parents like the thought of you being so unbearable that even your own flesh and blood cannot stand the sight of you. So the thoughts that the story provoked were I think were the story’s best strong point.

There were many scenes that were choppy and discombobulated and the characters made this story somewhat unlikable.

The ending was slightly disappointing, however. I felt it ended too perfectly. I also felt that Hunter’s response to his father, the guardian, was odd. At one point he was glad to be within his care, but then he does a complete 180 when he tells the cop that his father kidnapped him and he’s a murderer. Completely out of nowhere.

Hunter’s already precarious life in foster care is severely rocked when his foster father suddenly dies. With no one else to turn to for help in a moment of anguish, Hunter prays/cries out to “St. Gabriel”, the guardian angel he remembers meeting as a very young boy right before his mother gave him away. When his prayer is answered, Hunter is grateful but more than a little taken aback. Without giving everything away, librarians should know that this book starts fairly dark (Hunter and foster siblings are abused by foster mother) and gets darker as it goes along (Hunter’s “angel” turns out to be his biological father, who objected to Hunter’s being given up for adoption/foster care and is recently paroled for the murder of Hunter’s mother.) – although it does have a relatively HEA. Fast-paced read. Recommended.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Kyle Bailey lives with his grandmother, Chantal. He has lived with her since his mother left him there at age four because she realized she wasn't "mother" material. His father has never been in the picture because he was simply a sperm donor from the local sperm bank.

Despite the unusual family situation, Kyle has done well. He is a high school senior and could be on his way to college, but he has other plans. Kyle wants to be a professional wrestler - the WWE kind that is on TV and really act more than wrestle. Unknown to his grandmother or any of his friends, he has enrolled in a wrestling training class, and he is doing quite well.

A local gym is the setting for much of the first half of the novel. Jeff, the instructor, is working with seven students, including one girl. He says Kyle is the most talented beginner he's ever come across. The motley group of students includes talented Kyle, hotshot Danny, hard-working Ben, "elderly" Hector, and the beautiful Ophelia. The training is physical, brutal, and exhausting, and the competition is stiff. Everyone hopes to be recognized by Rat Boy, the owner of the local Gold Coast Wrestling.

Kyle can't believe it when Ophelia shows a romantic interest in him. It just seems to add a little extra sweetness to his ultimate dream. Ophelia even loves his grandmother and spends increasing amounts of time as part of their little family; so much time, that she agrees with Kyle when he begins to notice his grandmother's behavior is changing in disturbing ways.

HEADLOCK by Joyce Sweeney will satisfy many readers. The plot is multi-layered with wrestling action, Kyle's first love, his absent and eccentric mother, and worry about the growing forgetfulness of his grandmother. HEADLOCK is a true page-turner much like Sweeney's previous novels, PLAYERS and TAKEDOWN.

Thirteen-year-old Hunter has been shuffled around different foster homes for most of his life. For the past few years, he has lived with his foster parents Stephanie and Mike and three siblings. Stephanie has always disliked Hunter, but she does not dare touch him with Mike around. Then, Mike dies, and Hunter must protect himself from Stephanie’s wrath. Luckily, there seems to be a mysterious force helping Hunter. The question is, do guardian angels truly exist?

Overall, I was satisfied. The writing is straight forward, and the novel is told in first person which created a raw feeling throughout the novel. I liked Hunter as a character. While his choice not to call social services sometimes frustrated me, I understood it. Under Stephanie’s roof, Hunter had a family. If he called social services, not only would he put himself back into the system, but also his sisters. Also, he was delusional. All of a sudden his life was getting better. Who’s to say his life with Stephanie could not get better?

My least favorite part of the novel was right after the climax. I do not want to spoil anything, but Sweeney chose to skip details about one important detail in the book. It felt like the novel skipped a chapter. Another thing I disliked were all the foster families Hunter lived with. Hunter was shuffled around because his foster parents. It gives foster families a bad reputation. Mike was the only good foster parent, and I’m amazing at the control he had over Stephanie! It’s almost unbelievable, now that I look back at it.

From what I’ve written above, it seems like I disliked The Guardian more than I liked it, but that’s not true. I actually did enjoy it. The plot was exciting, and I liked the guardian angel stuff. I just wished Sweeney spent more time tweaking it.

Hunter is a 13 year old living with his abusive foster mother and three sisters. Things were going pretty well for him until his foster father dies. His foster mother becomes INCREASINGLY more abusive towards him, the bully at school raises the weekly fee, and because he can't stand it anymore he prays to that guardian angel he saw when he was four. But did he really see him? Is he imagining things or is his guardian angel really solving his problems? But do guardian angels seriously email people and scare a girl half to death? Hmm...curiouser and curiouser don't you think?
I really liked this book! I would say it's a quick, light read, but even thought it's 177 pgs long, there is nothing light about it. It can get intense, unpredictable, crazy, and even pull at your heart strings at times.
Many of the things that happened I just could never have predicted! It was just so surprising and sad!!! I really, really REALLY wanted things to end differently for him, but oh well. You will feel so sad for Hunter and by the time you've read the first ten pages, you'll be cheering for him and wanting him to just be happy. Trust me, it may start out slow but it gets intense then you just don't want to stop reading until you're finished and you find out what will happen with Hunter.
I highly recommend this book so go out and get it now!

Enjoy. :)
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com

Interesting Idea That Didn’t Drag On

The Guardian
By Joyce Sweeney
Pub. Date: March 2009
3 out of 5 stars
PG-13 - Violence and Profanity
Recommended

Hunter knew he would be okay, physically and mentally, when Mike was around. But now Mike has passed away, leaving his short-fused wife sole caretaker of four children, 3 daughters and 1 foster son. Hunter’s mere presence could throw her into a violent rage. As his number of bruises skyrocket, his life takes an unexpected turn for the better. A mysterious force has begun to act on every prayer of Hunter’s. Is there really such a think as a Guardian Angel? Or has Hunter finally gone crazy?

The Guardian’s plot was built on an interesting idea that didn’t drag on. Every event ran quickly to the next. The family was a mess of odd characters. Hunter had my sympathy from the first page. His foster mom appeared to hate him and threw him off when she showed even the slightest compassion. She was very hard to pin down. All of his sisters were realistic and the youngest one was adorable. The dialogue was straight and to the point. The Guardian is going to be most enjoyed by middle school boys. The Guardian is a book worth your time, even though it seems over edited.

Date Reviewed: March 30th, 2009

For more book reviews and book information check out my blog at www.inthecurrent.blogspot.com

Secrets once seemed like lies, but Sophie discovers that secrets actually protect. Sophie's got a secret--the father of her baby. Her mother also has a secret--Sophie's father.

Waiting for June allows the reader into the inner thoughts of a high school senior unsure of her future. In the third trimester of her pregnancy, Sophie is determined to make a life for her and her baby. But there is something about her baby that is crazy. It inherited traits from the father , if you want to know you will have to read the book.

HEADLOCK by Joyce Sweeney is an excellent book. Kyle is 18 and almost finished with high school. He lives with his grandmother because he says his mom stopped wanting to be a mom when he was 4 years old.

He has always been on the gymnastic team at school, but he recently left the team in search of something else. He wants to be a professional wrestler. According to his new trainer, he has the speed and moves to be a success, but does he have what it takes to compete with the bigger, stronger, and sometimes more dangerous opponents he will face?
AR points = 6

A basketball team learns true unity when a new player attempts to sabotage each team member.

Sophie is a high school senior, an honor student, and pregnant. Like her mother before her, she refuses to disclose the name of the father of her child and has to endure being a social outcast, as well as some rather strange dreams involving whales. I thought this book was very engaging, and the plight of a young soon-to-be mother was well portrayed. Sophie has to deal with people treating her poorly, speculation as to who the father is (most believe it is her best friend, who is African American, but you don't find out until the end who it really is), as well as death threats and unexplained phenomenon.½