Tangerine

Rating:
Summary: John Irving for Young Adults
Review: Tangerine contains many of the elements that make John Irving's best works so great. Paul Fisher, a legally blind seventh grader who excels at soccer moves to Tangerine, Florida, with his family. His father's life revolves around the football stardom of Paul's older brother Erik. His mother is mainly concerned with community standards in their upper-class housing development, which is plagued by daily lightning strikes, smoke from a perpetual fire, and mosquito swarms. After half of his suburban middle school is swallowed by a giant sinkhole, Paul finds his place at the more urban Tangerine Middle, where he makes the soccer team and becomes friends with its stars whose families work the citrus groves that are threatened by developments like the one in which he lives. In his first novel, Edward Bloor manages to make strange and bizarre characters and situations believable, and makes heroes out of the most unlikely characters. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a winner!
Review: It contains many elements that young readers love. Mystery, sports, and sibling rivalry are just a few. The main character, Paul is easy to identify with. He is legally blind but doesn't let his handicap stop him. I am a teacher in Florida and my students fought over this book. This book is full of interesting information. I can teach many things through the book that relate to Florida such as; sinkholes, muck fires, lightning, and the citrus industry. This book should be a contender for the Newberry Award as well as a Sunshine State winner. There is even more exciting news, I found out that Mr. Bloor is already working on his second novel which is also set in Florida.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly entertaining ...
Review: A nearly-blind 12-year-old boy plays on a soccer team at a mostly Hispanic school in Florida. He has a psycho brother and goes through lots of weird experiences: a football player is killed by lightning strike, and his old school was swallowed up by a sinkhole ! Surprisingly entertaining, and well worth reading. Reminds us that even being a football star (or by way of extension a star student) means nothing if you are not also a good person.

Rating:
Summary: This should have won an award last year.
Review: Bloor, a new name in YA, has written a wonderful story about a handicapped boy who is struggling with his disability, trying to compete to be recognized like his brother is recognized in the eyes of his father and this boy's emotional trauma that he suffered at the hands of his brother. I just thought that this was a refreshing tale that I could not put down. It's got the mystery quality and sports theme that will appeal to most YA boys. It is in my middle school library and it isoften signed out.

Rating:
Summary: Not appropriate for most 12 year olds!
Review: Psycho siblings and childhood trauma. I'm glad I decided to read this one before giving it to my son. The book has good character development and Mr. Bloor is clearly in touch with kids, but this book is definately for the older teen!! I was haunted by this one and would prefer to shield my kids while I still can.

Rating:
Summary: A PAGE-TURNER THAT SCORES
Review: Ed Bloor's novel "Tangerine", the story of an
11-year-old legally blind soccer goalie with a
sinister charmer for an older brother, is a
page-turner that scores at once as a mystery
thriller, a morality tale and a tribute to a
child's awesome courage in battling psychic
and physical obstacles that would daunt most
heroes of fact and fantasy. Alfred Hitchcock
would have made this into a smash-hit. Maybe
someone else will.
Hans Knight,writer and critic.

Rating:
Summary: Best Children's Book I've Read (so far) This Year
Review: This book took my breath away! When I finished reading TANGERINE, I called the library where I work and had them order 2 more copies. In September, this will be the first book I have the kids in my Young Critics Club read. The character development, the action, the mystery, the pain, the thrill -- it's all there. I hope the Newbery Award Committee reads TANGERINE

Rating:
Summary: Exciting reading for the young and not so young!
Review: A wonderfully entertaining and suspenseful story. I was most anxious to reach the end of the mystery, but truly sorry to leave the town of Tangerine.

Kudos to the author. More, please!

Elisabeth Dixon

Rating:
Summary: Thoughful and intelligent, I couldn't put it down.
Review: What a wonderful way to find a book. This was the first young adult book sent to me as a Amazon recommendation and I couldn't have been more pleased. The characters are well drawn and believeable. The events that surround the community are so ordinary, but Edaward Bloor lets us 'see' in a new light. I am teacher and I can't wait for school to start to recommend this book to my students. One young friend of mine read it on my recommedation and finished it in an afternoon. I will be anxiously awaiting his next book

Rating:
Summary: A Story of Fight and Courage Not Just For the Young!
Review: I ordered this book on the basis of the Amazon young adult editor's review and I was not disappointed. I could hardly put this book down. I was drawn by Paul's character throughout the book, not your typical hero, but instead someone who "sees" things more clearly than those with better eyesight. I loved this book which shows that ability, popularity, and toughness are not what is important, it is people and really seeing them. It is well-written, excellenty plotted, drawing the reader along with the idea of finding out what really happened to Paul when he was five years old. This book is not just for young adults -- I am 32 and I loved it