Straight Punch was different then many other YA books i've read before, yes it dealt with troubled teens and that seems to be the topic of many YA novels, but never one where the alternative school focuses on both academics and boxing. I wasn't sure if I would really get into this story, which is why It took me a while to pick it up, but suprisingly I did enjoy this story and was able to finish the book in just a few days. I didn't rate it higher because while it was a good, enjoyable story, it wasn't anything spectacular, and many of the twists and turns were predictable. If you like YA troubled teen books or boxing, then you should give this book a try because it was enjoyable. ( )

This book was just amazing and I think it's safe to say that it is actually one of my favorite books I've ever read. This is book shows many realistic points, which I quite enjoyed and I felt the need to read it all in one go (which I find hard to do for many books). Overall, I don't know what to change in this book and such a great book in general. ( )

I enjoyed this story, and found that much of it rang very true. I live in Montreal and have a daughter not unlike Tessa in an alternative program in the English school system. Granted, her school is simply a room that is part of the regular school. However, based on her and my experiences, I could totally picture New Directions and the goings-on with the neighbour, etc. I agree with the other reviewers that the characters and storyline could have used more depth, but I know that is not the point of Orca books. They are meant to be quick, engaging reads for somewhat reluctant readers, and that is exactly what I found this book to be. We have selected this title for our Battle of the Books competition, and I look forward to recommending it to team members who enjoy realistic fiction. And frankly, the book did leave me wanting to give boxing a try myself :) ( )

Tessa's habit of tagging gets her in trouble with the law and expelled from high school. She's sent to New Directions, an alternative school that has regular classes in the mornings and boxing training in the afternoon. At first, she's terrified, but she quickly settles in, makes friends with the other students, and comes to enjoy boxing.

I would say this book is pretty predictable; I wasn't surprised by anything in it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. There are a lot of YA novels about football, baseball, etc., but this is the first one I've encountered that features boxing. ( )

As a librarian who works with youth in the juvenile justice system, I interested but skeptical to read Straight Punch by Monique Polak. Books that reflect the experiences of my youth are always needed, but I'm always a little nervous when a relatively privileged, apparently white girl gets in trouble with the law and ends up in someplace like "a last chance school in Montreal's roughest neighborhood." And, while I appreciate the work Orca does to publish materials for reluctant readers, their books often feel like they need a few more drafts before publication. There are many aspects of this book that will appeal to reluctant readers, and some teens will be able to skip over the less believable aspects of the story line, but overall this title falls short of offering a compelling realistic look at the lives of teenagers involved in the legal system.

The book's strength is in a writing style & voice that will appeal to reluctant readers. The preliminary story set-up is covered quickly, in a handful of pages, dropping the reader into the central story line and conflict very quickly. The voice feels authentic to the character, reflecting the thought process and speech of a modern teen. The story continues to move very fast throughout. The narrator often skips over time without wasting any words on describing how much time has passed or what has happened in the interim.

Unfortunately, there are many issues with the believability of the story for me. Some readers will miss them or be able to skip over them, but more discerning readers will get caught on these flaws. It seems unrealistic to me that the system would force Tessa into a program that contains a 50% boxing curriculum when she has clear signs of PTSD triggered by fighting. Even if there wasn't any kind of psychiatric evaluation in her sentencing, I would think her involved attentive mother would have spoken up. It is also hard to believe that three tagging offenses take our character straight from a fancy magnet school to a "last chance academy." And the idea that a teacher who specializes in working with troubled youth would start the school year with a deep memory exercise, something that is pretty much guaranteed to trigger a room full of traumatized kids, really stretched believability. There were a few too many "issues" going on, as if each of the characters represented a troubled teen "type" to be covered -- pregnancy, alcoholism, learning disabilities, etc. The semi-abusive boyfriend really pushed it over the edge. The school name, New Directions, kept giving me flashes of Glee, which really didn't work with the story. Finally, the story's conclusion wrapped up far too quickly -- too much tell and not enough show. One speech and "poof," everything is OK again.

Again, there are certainly reluctant readers who will enjoy this book, and the boxing is a good hook. The language is easy to follow and the story's pace is quick. I just think it needed a few more revisions and a little more focus to really make it a quality book. ( )