Mardie is 15 and headed down a path to destruction. Constantly living in the shadow of her successful older brother, she is seeks attention in negative ways until she discovers boxing. It might just be the thing that saves her.
As the story begins, Mardie's grades are slipping. She has the attention of one of the most popular guys in school and finding ways to party with him consumes most of her time. Even though he is making it pretty obvious that he is interested in just one thing, she's enjoying the jealous looks she gets from every girl in school.
Life is becoming a series of lies told to her father and stepmother. Mardie's beginning to question whether the lies are worth it because so far she's had to call both her brother and stepmother to pick her up from parties where things have gone terribly wrong. The result - she's been grounded and lost her cell phone privileges. Being caught shoplifting $93 worth of merchandise was the last straw. Now it doesn't matter if she's invited to parties because her evenings are filled with walking the dogs and going to the local fitness center with her stepmother.
It's while hanging out at the fitness center, that Mardie discovers boxing. Tired of reading and doing homework, she wanders around and stumbles across a girls' boxing workout. Encouraged to join in by the instructor, Kitty, she's hooked. Convincing her father that it's a good idea is a bit difficult, but with the help of her stepmother, she succeeds.
Can boxing and training for an upcoming championship fight turn things around for Mardie? Will it be enough to help her learn to accept her stepmother, deal with her demanding father, and understand that her older brother is gay?
Author Bobbie Pyron takes readers into the unusual world of female boxers. She mixes the physical release of the sport with the roller-coaster emotions of a teenager. What the story lacks in depth is made up for in action and plot twists most teens will be able to understand. THE RING is a quick read that might open up new possibilities for those looking for something out of the ordinary.
1 comment:
Hi and thanks so much for reviewing my book, The Ring! If you're ever interested in interviewing me for this blog--to get the story behind the story--I'd be happy to do that. My email address is bpyron@pawsource.org. Thanks again!
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