Reviews

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7 Up-The Wolfe family has more than its share of problems. Injured in a plumbing accident, the father is unemployed. The mother works extra jobs to help make ends meet. Sister Sarah is an alcoholic. Eldest brother Steve keeps himself emotionally distanced from everyone as he bides his time waiting for an opportunity to escape. Cameron and Ruben are close, almost inseparable, supporting one another. Despite their hardships, the Wolfes maintain a steadfast pride and determination to survive. The story, narrated by Cameron, centers on his relationship with Ruben, who is everything the younger sibling wants to be but is not. Looking to make a financial contribution to the family, the boys encounter a shady boxing promoter who convinces them to fight for money. Aggressive Ruben, who enjoys a good altercation anyway, is enthusiastic. For him, boxing is a way to prove himself. Cameron is petrified, but he goes along with his brother. Predictably, the two brothers face one another in the ring in a climactic scene in which Cameron confronts his feelings about Ruben and himself. Fighting Ruben Wolfe has an intriguing premise that is never fully realized. The characters are only superficially developed, as are the dynamics among the other family members. It is difficult to care about the characters or their situations, and the lack of resolution at the end will leave readers disappointed. A novel that begins with promise but never makes it past the first round.-Edward Sullivan, Langston Hughes Library, Clinton, TN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In earthy working-class dialect, Australian novelist Zusak offers a lot of boxing action as well as a sensitive inspection of sibling relationship and family pride, wrote PW. Ages 13-up. (June) n (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this fast-paced Australian import, teenage tough guys Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are offered a chance to fight on the underground boxing circuit. Cam's brawny first-person narrative captures the physical rigors of the boxing ring as well as the emotional turmoil of the troubled Wolfe family. The earthy characterizations, volatile family dynamics, and sports theme make this a match for Chris Lynch's Shadow Boxer. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

From Australia, Zusak debuts with an intense tale about boxing, brotherly solidarity, and searching for self-respect. The Wolfe family is on the skids, with Mr. Wolfe five months out of work, Mrs. Wolfe barely able to keep food on the table, older sister Sarah coming home drunk more and more often, and brothers Cameron and Ruben firmly tagged as troublemakers. When a schoolmate calls his sister a whore, Ruben reacts with such devastating speed and efficiency that a local racketeer makes a job offer. Soon Ruben and Cameron are both sneaking off every Sunday afternoon for low-paying and, needless to say, illegal prizefights in a grimy warehouse before bloodthirsty crowds. Though Cameron can give a good account of himself in the ring, he lacks Ruben's raw talent and ferocious concentration. But even as Ruben runs up a string of victories, he confesses to Cameron that he may know how to win, but not how to lose, not how to pick himself up off the floor and keep going the way Cameron and the rest of the Wolfes do. Ultimately, the brothers are forced to face each other in the ring, but Ruben, ever the brains of the outfit, finds a way to turn what might have been an ugly, divisive fight into a reaffirmation of love and respect. Zusak's eccentric language—a smell is "raucous," a pause "yawns through the air," a young woman has "eyes of sky"—gives Cameron's narrative a slightly offbeat air that suits the brothers' escapade: part lark, part a real effort (however misguided) to break from the unpromising path down which they seem to be going. The book closes on a rising note, with the brothers, and the whole Wolfe clan, closer than ever, showing real signs of regaining its feet. Engrossing. (Fiction. YA)


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In earthy, working-class dialect, Australian novelist Zusak offers a lot of sports action as well as a sensitive inspection of sibling relationships and family pride. Times are tough for the Wolfe family now that Mr. Wolfe, a plumber, has been injured on the job ("He's half a man, because it seems that when a man can't work and when his wife and kids earn all the money, a man becomes half a man"). While narrator Cameron tends to keep his family's troubles locked inside, his brother Ruben lashes out with his fists. So, when a classmate taunts the boys with a derogatory remark about their sister, who has been "gettin' around a bit," Ruben pummels him. News of the fight spreads, and, a few days later, Ruben and Cameron, who has "heart" ("People throw money into the ring corners if they think you've got heart," says the organizer), are invited to participate in illegal boxing matches. Through Cameron's voice and observations of everything from family dinners to fights to dog races, Zusak compellingly relates how the two brothers respond differently to internal and external conflicts. While Cameron lives in fear, Ruben grows increasingly hardened. The moment of truth comes when Cameron and Ruben are forced to meet each other in the ring. It's a somewhat overneat ending to an often provocative book. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7 Up-Cameron Wolfe is perfectly happy to be an underdog, as long as he has his family by his side. But things are starting to fall apart for their family: his father lost his job, his mother is working too hard at two jobs, his sister is busy partying, and his oldest brother is planning to move out. Cameron and his other brother, Ruben, have always been the vagabonds of the family, happy to be irresponsible and undependable. Now, though, they both feel a deep responsibility to the family and a need to find their self-respect once again. When offered the chance to earn extra money by boxing, both brothers decide to participate and discover more about themselves than just their ability to fight. Markus Zusak's short, yet hugely insightful book (Arthur A. Levine Bks., 2001) tackles the themes of self-worth, family relationships, and what it really means to be a fighter in life. Stig Wemyss brings Cameron vividly to life with an authentic Australian accent and a teenager's sense of wonder and self-discovery. This heartwarming tale of brothers banding together to keep a family going comes across beautifully in audio format. This is the second title in a trilogy about Cameron Wolfe, but it can stand solidly on its own. A great addition to both public and high school collections in need of contemporary fiction, especially for boys.-Jessica Miller, West Springfield Public Library, West Springfield, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 8^-12. In this promising if uneven first novel by an Australian writer, two teenage brothers from a working-class family (father unemployed but too proud to go on the dole, mother scrubbing floors) decide to do their part by signing on with a lowlife boxing promoter who stages semi-legal fights between untrained youths who are only paid if they win. Ruben Wolfe, the charismatic older brother, knocks out his opponents without breaking a sweat; Cameron, the sensitive younger brother and the story's narrator, lacks talent but fights on guts alone, usually losing but collecting "tips" from fans who respect his ability to keep getting up after being knocked down. If you smell metaphor here, your sinuses are clear. Like so many talented first novelists, Zusak must overcome the tendency to overwrite. He tells a dramatic story and effectively brings his characters to full-bodied life, but he can't resist the temptation to use Cameron's voice to wax poetic ("the lecherous soul that is my youth"). Similarly, he can't quite keep his thumb off the narrative scales, interrupting the tale to have Cameron remind us where to look for meaning: "We want to take the struggle and rise above it." When the neon "author's message" sign stops flashing, however, there is a powerful novel here demanding our attention. As we move inevitably toward the mock-Rocky ending--the boys must fight each other--Zusak lets the tale take over and, in the process, reveals more about pride and the struggle to know oneself than do all his author's messages combined. --Bill Ott