FITZ

1. [Online library] Fitz Fitz Mick Cochrane ebooks | Download PDF | *ePub | DOC | audiobook #553273 in Books 2013-11-12 2013-11-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .44 x 5.50l, .40 #File Name: 0375846115192 pages | File size: 64.Mb Mick Cochrane : Fitz before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Fitz: 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A poignant, sympathetic, and honest look at a modern familyBy Paul CumboMick Cochrane's latest novel, Fitz, has managed to convey a sophisticated, complex story in a readable, fluid way appropriate for a broad age range. Though ostensibly a "Young Adult" novel, Fitz speaks to adults just as well. In fact, I would assert that there is an unwritten story between the lines...so often the case in a "Young Adult" novel written by a (somewhat!) older author. The book's protagonist is a realistically written, likable kid with an edge and a

2. legitimate gripe against his old man. Though his "threatening" actions are brash and ill-advised, they take on an almost comical sheen once the reader gets to know how profoundly innocent this kid is. Cochrane has, with his typical subtlety, succeeded in endowing his characters and situations with gravity minus the all-too-common melodrama found in family-centered stories. Teenagers will enjoy reading this, because it doesn't "talk down" to them the way many young adult books do. The vocabulary is sophisticated and elevated without unnecessary complexity, and the plot has enough substance and relatable depth that they can think deeply about the issues involved. Adults-- particularly parents or others who work with teens--will, as I mentioned earlier, "read between the lines" and pick up on the author's emotional investment in the story and his understanding of complex family dynamics. There are no cliches in this story. There are no angels and there are no demons. Just ordinary people struggling with stuff that has, unfortunately, become the stuff of ordinary life for many families. If you are a teenager, live with a teenager, or work with a teenager, this is a rewarding, enjoyable, and important read.- Paul Cumbo, Author of Boarding Pass3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Another great book from Mick CochraneBy Kurtis ScalettaI'm a fan of Cochrane's previous novels, SPORT and THE GIRL WHO THREW BUTTERFLIES. With this book, they comprise a trilogy about missing and absent fathers. FITZ is the most high-concept and head-on: a troubled teen kidnaps his dad at gunpoint and enforces a day of father-son bonding. They go to the zoo, eat hamburgers and pie, etc. It could have been a fast-paced thriller (or perhaps a dark comedy), but it's bigger than either of those, a serious look at how a missing dad leaves a hole in the life of a child, and how a missing child leaves a hole in the parent. As a dad, I was able to relate to and understand both characters.I highlighted a lot of passages where Cochrane shows off his literary deftness, some about Fitz's feelings, some about music, and one about bonzai trees... but it's also a fast-paced read; in fact, I read it in one sitting. This is a good pick for teens who like deeper and more realistic books than whatever's trending this month, but still want a page turner.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a great readBy CdsouzaExploding with action and suspense. Pulls you in from the first few words. I enjoyed reading this with my teenager Sometimes Fitz would look at himself in the mirror, an expression of pathetic eagerness on his face. He was a dog in the pound, wanting to be adopted. He'd smile. What father wouldn't want this boy?Fifteen-year-old FitzgeraldFitz, to his friendshas just learned that his father, whom he's never met, who supports him but is not a part of his life, is living nearby. Fitz begins to follow him, watch him, study him, and on an otherwise ordinary May morning, he executes a plan to force his father, at gunpoint, to be with him.Over the course of one spring day, Fitz and his father become real to one another. Fitz learns about his father, why he's chosen to remain distant and what really happened between him and Fitz's mother. And his father learns what sort of boy his son has grown up to become. From School Library JournalGr 7 Up-Fitzgerald, 15, doesn't know his father, but after finding out that he's moved back to St. Paul, decides upon a desperate plan to meet him. It starts by putting a gun in the man's face. What follows is a touching, if odd, story of a teen trying to understand the father he never knew. He learns what his dad does now, how his parents first met, and, most important, why he left him and his mother in the first place. This is a story that has been told many times in young adult books, but here it's done exceptionally well, and the motivation behind Fitz choosing a gun to get the fatherly attention he's never received yet desperately needs is understandable even if readers don't necessarily agree with it. Quiet scenes between Fitz and Curtis are written with an understated poignant emotionality that allows readers to understand Fitz. Things like feeding sea lions and later having lunch with his father are so strange to him, yet fill a void within him. Even his absentee father somehow becomes a likable character. This is a hard book to put down, and a great one to give to teens trying to make sense of divorce.-Ryan P. Donovan, New York Public Library(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.From BooklistNamed for author F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitz is a typical 15-year-old, except that when readers first meet him, he is packing heat: a Smith Wesson. Why? Simple. He plans to kidnap the father he has never known, a man Fitzs mother refuses to talk about, instead offering only hints, echoes and glimpses, scraps and shards. Fitz is determined to have some quality time with his father to find out why the man left when Fitz was still a baby. Fitz realizes that his actions will have consequences and that his life will never be the same again. But will that be good or bad? A professor of English and the author of three previous novels, Cochrane has written a moving, character-driven story that explores with subtlety and quiet compassion the struggle of a boy to fill a void in his life and find the love of a father. Grades 8-12. --Michael CartAbout the AuthorMICK COCHRANE is a professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College. USA Today called his middle-grade novel, The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, "A lovely coming-of-age novel . . . seasoned with small doses of Zen, baseball lore and history."