Kick

Title: Kick
Author: Walter Dean Meyers and Ross Workman
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2011)
ISBN: 9780062004895 0062004891 9780062004901 0062004905
Pages: 197
Characters: Kevin, Sergent Brown
Bookmarks: 2 1/2

13 year old Kevin is a soccer star who happens to have gotten into trouble with the law. Sargent Brown, who knew Kevin's father, becomes Kevin's mentor in an attempt to help him reform so that he doesn't go to jail. As Kevin and Sargent Brown become closer, Sargent Brown discovers that Kevin really is a good kid and learns the true reason for why he was driving a friend's father's car in the middle of the night. Kevin also gets a father figure in his life which he was previously lacking and Sargent Brown and his wife gain a son figure.

I loved the idea of this book and really wanted to like it- a fan and a famous author collaborating to write a book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. I did like that the two authors alternated chapters- Meyers writing as Sargent Brown and Workman writing as Kevin. This did give the book a bit more of an authentic feel. It was more the content of the book that bothered me- a woman is beaten by her husband for being depressed and two kids feel like they have to be the ones to take on the entire problem. I wanted to scream where are the adults in this situation!!!! The whole relationship between Sargent Brown and Kevin seemed to be really cliched, which was disappointing coming from such an accomplished author as Meyers