Wrestling Sturbridge - Hardcover

Wallace, Rich

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679878033 ISBN 13: 9780679878032

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996

Synopsis

Welcome to Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, a small, dead-end town with nothing to do and no way out.  At least that's how Ben, a high school senior and the second-best 135-pound wrestler in school, sees it.  But Ben's fed up with being stuck on the bench, watching as his friend Al, the state champion, gets all the glory.  If Ben doesn't get his life in gear, he could end up like his father and the other men in Sturbridge--working on the line in the cinder block factory.  Spurred on partly by a wise, intense young woman, and partly by a strength found deep within himself, Ben looks for a way out--his whole life depends on it.  In the words of Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli, "Wrestling Sturbridge isn't just an outstanding first novel; it's an outstanding novel, period."  

About this title

Review:

Ben will be damned if he's going to stay in Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, when he gets out of high school. Work in the cinder block factory like everyone else? No way. He's also not going to let his friend Al win the state wrestling championship. Ben wants it more than Al does. Ben needs it more than Al does. Ben is going to win. Robert Cormier writes: "in a beautifully understated first novel, Rich Wallace brings the town and the teenager achingly alive as Ben wrestles not only his high school opponents, but with the big issues of life and love and the choices a teenager must make."

From the Back Cover:

"It's a riveting story...Wallace weighs his words carefully, making every one count in this excellent, understated first novel"--Booklist, starred review.

"There are only a few contemporary writers who can hit the mark with teenage boys, and Rich Wallace, with his first novel, seems likely to join that group...You don't need to know or like wrestling to become quickly engaged with this story."--Chicago Tribune

"The sports angle makes this a great "guy's" book, while the gripping narrative and feisty heroine will appeal to young women, too. A real winner"--Publishers Weekly, starred review.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0679878033
• ISBN 13: 9780679878032
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 133