Helpful Score: 3
Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
If TWISTED is in your "to be read" pile, please don't wait - move it to the top.
This is a novel about pressure - the three P's - parental pressure, peer pressure, and personal pressure.
Tyler Miller is guilty of something he refers to as The Foul Deed. His punishment involves losing his driving privileges, doing community service at the school, working for a local landscaping company, reporting to a probation officer, keeping his grades up, and as everyone keeps reminding him, "keeping his nose clean."
Tyler finds a positive side to this punishment. His recent hard labor has created muscles where his previously dweeby bod never had any. He also realizes that the very popular Bethany Milbury seems to be interested in him. Could The Foul Deed have taken his former life and given him a better one in its place?
All's well until school starts, and Tyler finds himself swamped with AP classes and the pressure to do well. His father, an ambitious over-achieving businessman, rules the home front. Tyler, his younger sister, and his mother all suffer verbal abuse from his father's direction. Tyler thinks it's possible and wants to make things work, but the demands seem overwhelming.
To complicate matters, Tyler is not welcomed into Bethany Milbury's circle of friends with open arms. Her twin brother, Chip, has had it in for Tyler since middle school, and the idea that Tyler is getting involved with his sister doesn't set well with Chip. Tyler is up against Chip and his buddies and a completely different social class. Can he stand up to all this pressure?
Laurie Halse Anderson is well-known for her novel SPEAK. When I heard about TWISTED, I read that she had created something even better. I have to agree. This book has me hoping she is hard at work on her next one.
If TWISTED is in your "to be read" pile, please don't wait - move it to the top.
This is a novel about pressure - the three P's - parental pressure, peer pressure, and personal pressure.
Tyler Miller is guilty of something he refers to as The Foul Deed. His punishment involves losing his driving privileges, doing community service at the school, working for a local landscaping company, reporting to a probation officer, keeping his grades up, and as everyone keeps reminding him, "keeping his nose clean."
Tyler finds a positive side to this punishment. His recent hard labor has created muscles where his previously dweeby bod never had any. He also realizes that the very popular Bethany Milbury seems to be interested in him. Could The Foul Deed have taken his former life and given him a better one in its place?
All's well until school starts, and Tyler finds himself swamped with AP classes and the pressure to do well. His father, an ambitious over-achieving businessman, rules the home front. Tyler, his younger sister, and his mother all suffer verbal abuse from his father's direction. Tyler thinks it's possible and wants to make things work, but the demands seem overwhelming.
To complicate matters, Tyler is not welcomed into Bethany Milbury's circle of friends with open arms. Her twin brother, Chip, has had it in for Tyler since middle school, and the idea that Tyler is getting involved with his sister doesn't set well with Chip. Tyler is up against Chip and his buddies and a completely different social class. Can he stand up to all this pressure?
Laurie Halse Anderson is well-known for her novel SPEAK. When I heard about TWISTED, I read that she had created something even better. I have to agree. This book has me hoping she is hard at work on her next one.
Helpful Score: 2
"Everbody told me to be a man - Nobody told me how"
Twisted is the story of a young man who's been a loser and a nobody until a poorly conceived prank at the end of his junior year lands him in legal trouble. That includes probation, a required job with a landscaping firm and a summer-time afterwork stint in the school's janatorial crew for restitution. However the hard work pays off in unanticipated ways. His new work-hardened physique and his newly minted bad boy reputation make him a personality at school and attractive to the girl of his fantasies.
But as he's processing these changes our protagonist has to deal with troubles at home. His dad's growing distance from the family, his mom's drinking and his little sister's too-wise take on boys, high-school and popularity.
What I expected to be another sweet teen romance turned into something much more. This is a book about growing up, being misunderstood, the relationship betwen fathers and sons and many other issues that are all too common in today's world.
This is a good intelligent read but it's also witty and fun and wise. I highly recommend this book.
Twisted is the story of a young man who's been a loser and a nobody until a poorly conceived prank at the end of his junior year lands him in legal trouble. That includes probation, a required job with a landscaping firm and a summer-time afterwork stint in the school's janatorial crew for restitution. However the hard work pays off in unanticipated ways. His new work-hardened physique and his newly minted bad boy reputation make him a personality at school and attractive to the girl of his fantasies.
But as he's processing these changes our protagonist has to deal with troubles at home. His dad's growing distance from the family, his mom's drinking and his little sister's too-wise take on boys, high-school and popularity.
What I expected to be another sweet teen romance turned into something much more. This is a book about growing up, being misunderstood, the relationship betwen fathers and sons and many other issues that are all too common in today's world.
This is a good intelligent read but it's also witty and fun and wise. I highly recommend this book.
Oh Laurie Halse Anderson, how do I love thee? Let me count the titles...
I have loved every book of hers and am so happy that there are such talented and amazing authors writing young adult fiction. She really understands all things teenager and this is yet another work of her that feels real.
If you've read her other works, this one would get shelved with Speak and Catalyst. It's way more serious than Prom. The male protagonist made for an interesting change (I think this is her first male lead), but the voice is strong and it's a scary and satisfying read.
I have loved every book of hers and am so happy that there are such talented and amazing authors writing young adult fiction. She really understands all things teenager and this is yet another work of her that feels real.
If you've read her other works, this one would get shelved with Speak and Catalyst. It's way more serious than Prom. The male protagonist made for an interesting change (I think this is her first male lead), but the voice is strong and it's a scary and satisfying read.
Honestly, I kind of felt bored reading this. I love her work, but I'm not a fan of books about teen parties and pushy fathers, at least not in the somewhat cliche manner that shows up in this book. I think Anderson has a knack at writing, but I preferred her quirkier and more original "Speak" and "Catalyst."
The description makes this book sound like high school dramatics, and in a way it is. But the reason I love this book is because the main character breaks away from becoming the person his father is training (intentionally or not) him to be. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, The Breakfast Club.
Contemporary teen fiction. Tyler has always been an unnoticed loser, in school. Then he gets into a lot of trouble when he is caught playing a prank. The results are probation, community service, and notoriety. And a physical change as the result of physical labor from the community service. With his home life in shambles, he now has the attention of the most popular girl in school. But something goes horribly wrong, and once again, Tyler is the main suspect.
Awesome book. The author illustrates how easy it could be for a teenager to make very poor, fatal decisions. But Tyler is smart enough to take control of his own life and endure. Excellant book.
Awesome book. The author illustrates how easy it could be for a teenager to make very poor, fatal decisions. But Tyler is smart enough to take control of his own life and endure. Excellant book.
Twisted is the story of a young man who's been a loser and a nobody until a poorly conceived prank at the end of his junior year lands him in legal trouble. That includes probation, a required job with a landscaping firm and a summer-time afterwork stint in the school's janatorial crew for restitution. However the hard work pays off in unanticipated ways. His new work-hardened physique and his newly minted bad boy reputation make him a personality at school and attractive to the girl of his fantasies.
But as he's processing these changes our protagonist has to deal with troubles at home. His dad's growing distance from the family, his mom's drinking and his little sister's too-wise take on boys, high-school and popularity.
What I expected to be another sweet teen romance turned into something much more. This is a book about growing up, being misunderstood, the relationship betwen fathers and sons and many other issues that are all too common in today's world.
This is a good intelligent read but it's also witty and fun and wise. I highly recommend this book.
But as he's processing these changes our protagonist has to deal with troubles at home. His dad's growing distance from the family, his mom's drinking and his little sister's too-wise take on boys, high-school and popularity.
What I expected to be another sweet teen romance turned into something much more. This is a book about growing up, being misunderstood, the relationship betwen fathers and sons and many other issues that are all too common in today's world.
This is a good intelligent read but it's also witty and fun and wise. I highly recommend this book.
