Rate this book

Muckers (2013)

by Sandra Neil Wallace(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0375867546 (ISBN13: 9780375867545)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers

review 1: Did anyone out there find this book difficult to read? For all my anticipation of a great premise in a historical fiction sports story, I struggled through it like a true mucker. Why? The author assumes that readers, TEEN readers, know something about Arizona copper mining industry. They don't. A little prologue would be ever so useful to ease the reader into the strange turf of page 1. Furthermore, the sentence structure is choppy and convoluted, like a traffic jam of clauses. I had to re-read some sentences to understand. Thank heaven the newspaper clippings at the end of some chapters offer clarity. Finally, I thought that many characters and names came and went without introduction, further confusing readers. Again, the author assumes that we can visualize indi... moreviduals in the crowd. Unfortunately, methinks this first YA novel needs more work.
review 2: The story takes place in the 50's in an Arizona mining town. The mine is about to be closed leaving residents without a job. The issue at hand for the town and its young people is winning the high school football championship for the last time. Korean conflict, Communism scares, and racism play roles. The story is difficult to get into as I do not have the background knowledge about the Arizona mining town. The read improves as you continue with great scenes on trying to build a football team with very few players. Wonderful friendships develop despite the difficult times. Good for high school age. less

Download links for: Muckers

Advertising