Cam O'Mara, grandson and younger brother of bull- riding champions, is not intere... read full description
reviews
Jun 26, 2011
Elise (Bookish Delights)
rated it: 
Powerful. Poignant. Uplifting. Emotional. Beautiful. Told with authenticity and sincerity, Bull Rider makes a very bold statement that will last much longer than the requisite eight seconds in bull riding. Suzanne Morgan Williams is truly a masterful storyteller when it comes to understanding and capturing the dynamics of a family, especially when faced with hardships. Never taking away from the honor, dignity, and bravery of serving one’s country, Bull Rider provides a touching and impeccably r
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Jan 09, 2011
Kari
rated it:
The Short Version:
Realistic and holding strong tones of family bonds, Bull Rider easily straddles the line between younger and older YA. Centered around a fourteen year old boy, it reads in an easy way for a younger crowd while still holding all the emotions of an older one. Blending light and deep, and using bull riding and skateboarding to bring the characters to life, Bull Rider makes for a quick but memorable read.
The Extended Version:
Cam is a very easy character to l More...
Realistic and holding strong tones of family bonds, Bull Rider easily straddles the line between younger and older YA. Centered around a fourteen year old boy, it reads in an easy way for a younger crowd while still holding all the emotions of an older one. Blending light and deep, and using bull riding and skateboarding to bring the characters to life, Bull Rider makes for a quick but memorable read.
The Extended Version:
Cam is a very easy character to l More...
Oct 15, 2010
Travis
rated it:
Bull rideris an amizing book .Yhere are parts in that book that will put you on the edge of your seat . There are parts in the book that will make you cry and feel sad.The main cerictors ate the o'maras 1st Cam 2nd Ben 3rd Dad 4th Mom 5th grandma Gean 6th grampa .There family live on a ranch in salt lick. The auther Suzanne morgan williams lets the omaras speak their piece on war and sacrifive,family,loyalty and courage.they reveal what it means to live in the hart of modern west. There are alou
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Jan 15, 2010
Terry
rated it: 
When you've read a lot of YA, it can be hard to review a book like "Bull Rider." Some kids will really like this one. The rural setting, the skateboarding, and the consequences of war will go over well with a certain type of reader. The language and content is squeaky clean, yet the conflicts are real and effective, so middle school or high school readers could get something out of it. Our narrator's voice is clear and honest. As a resident of Nevada, I really appreciated Williams
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May 05, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Skateboarding is Cam’s passion; on the other hand, bull riding is his family’s passion (well, everyone except his mom). Cam’s grandpa, father, and older brother have all won awards for their bull riding abilities, but Cam wants nothing to do with it…that is, until his brother Ben returns from the Iraq war with a severe head injury and an amputated arm, no longer able to ride a bull.
Ben’s recovery is slow-going but the family tries to keep a positive attitude. However, as Ben’s progre More...
Ben’s recovery is slow-going but the family tries to keep a positive attitude. However, as Ben’s progre More...
Apr 08, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
BULL RIDER by Class of 2K9 author Suzanne Morgan Williams offers a unique combination of topics - rodeo bull riding and the Iraq War.
Young Cam O'Mara comes from a ranching, bull riding family, but his interest leans more toward skateboarding. Bull riding has never really held any attraction for him, at least until now.
The O'Mara family gets the dreaded news that their oldest son, Ben, ha More...
BULL RIDER by Class of 2K9 author Suzanne Morgan Williams offers a unique combination of topics - rodeo bull riding and the Iraq War.
Young Cam O'Mara comes from a ranching, bull riding family, but his interest leans more toward skateboarding. Bull riding has never really held any attraction for him, at least until now.
The O'Mara family gets the dreaded news that their oldest son, Ben, ha More...
Dec 05, 2011
Erin
rated it: 
Bull Rider
by Suzanne Morgan Williams
Before I tell you about this book, let me hit you with some numbers. There have been 5,308 American soldiers killed in the war in Iraq and Afghanastan (see pictures here) http://projects.washingtonpost.com/falle... Literally hundreds of those who have died were teenagers. That means that you would have to empty New Caney High School 2 and ½ times to equal the number of American casualties from the war. Can you see all of those people in one place? More...
by Suzanne Morgan Williams
Before I tell you about this book, let me hit you with some numbers. There have been 5,308 American soldiers killed in the war in Iraq and Afghanastan (see pictures here) http://projects.washingtonpost.com/falle... Literally hundreds of those who have died were teenagers. That means that you would have to empty New Caney High School 2 and ½ times to equal the number of American casualties from the war. Can you see all of those people in one place? More...
Oct 24, 2011
Joanna
rated it:
For ages 10-14, though I believe this is a book that will be appreciated by many adults. Paradoxically this is a book full of teenage action (from skateboarding to the bull ring) and yet it is a book that makes you want to pause frequently and listen to the deeper message. It opens up the small-town world and the relationship of two Nevada brothers. Cam, the adolescent skateboarder, has always left the family bull-riding tradition to others braver or more foolish than he, and Ben, a marine, retu
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Dec 08, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
In the small town of Salt Lick, Nevada Cam O'Mara knows how to do two things real well. One is how to work cows on his family's ranch and the other is skateboarding. Which is a bit unusual since everyone in Salt Like knows that the O'Mara family is famous for turning out champion bull riders like Cam's Grandpa Roy and his older brother, Ben. But skateboarding is Cam's passion and nothing can change that. That is until his larger-than-life older brother returns home from his tour in Iraq with sev
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Apr 27, 2010
Heather
rated it:
I put this book on the bottom of my to-read pile thinking I had no interest in a book about bull riding, and it turned out to be a tear jerker...
Bull Rider is the story of Cam O’Mara, a 14 year old boy with a passion for skateboarding. Cam’s older brother, Ben, a former champion bull rider, is injured in Iraq and comes home with Traumatic Brain Injury, along with other severe injuries. In an attempt to cheer up Ben, Cam rides his first bull and discovers that he loves it. Mrs. O’Mara More...
Bull Rider is the story of Cam O’Mara, a 14 year old boy with a passion for skateboarding. Cam’s older brother, Ben, a former champion bull rider, is injured in Iraq and comes home with Traumatic Brain Injury, along with other severe injuries. In an attempt to cheer up Ben, Cam rides his first bull and discovers that he loves it. Mrs. O’Mara More...
Mar 14, 2010
Eden
rated it:
I meant to just start the book, go to church, and finish it this afternoon. Instead, I kept reading and missed church. I was aware of the number of brain injuries coming out of this war. I’m personally aware of how difficult it is to rebuild any life after any type of brain injury. I know how much motivation plays a role in any recovery. I’m aware of some of the stress on military families and its effects on younger siblings. Bull Riding and Ranching are new to me. Suzanne Morgan Williams pu
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Dec 11, 2010
Lindsay
rated it:
The book is told through Cam O’Mara (I love that last name). Cam is a fifteen year old boy born into a bull riding family. Grandpa Roy rode, Dad wrote, and his brother Ben rode. Cam has no interest in bull riding; he’ll leave that for his brother. But Ben is in the Marines and he gets injured. That’s when everything changes.
Cam loves to skateboard with his friend Mike, but with news of his brother, Cam doesn’t know what to think. Cam loves Ben and you can easily tell. He’s worried ab More...
Cam loves to skateboard with his friend Mike, but with news of his brother, Cam doesn’t know what to think. Cam loves Ben and you can easily tell. He’s worried ab More...
Oct 20, 2011
Kay
rated it:
Cam O’Mara comes from a long line of bull riders: older brother, father, grandfather. But he took a good look at the bucking bulls and decided he’d rather get his thrills from perfecting his skateboard tricks. Then his older brother Ben comes home from Iraq after running into an improvised explosive device. Ben is missing part of his arm and struggling with traumatic brain injury. Cam is shocked by the changes in the older brother he always looked up to. Now Cam is looking for a way to bri
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Jan 13, 2010
J-Lynn
rated it:
As a city girl, I had trouble grasping the rural pride that the main characters cherish. But, I liked the insight into ranching and bull riding (although the main character's affinity for bull riding seemed convenient and the connection to skateboarding that was used to explain it seemed forced). The main characters voice is generic, but well-written.
The plotline about how returning disabled veterans effect the entire family is worth telling. Ben's Traumatic Brain Injury a More...
The plotline about how returning disabled veterans effect the entire family is worth telling. Ben's Traumatic Brain Injury a More...
Aug 04, 2009
Frezanda
rated it:
This book introduces me to Bull Riding. Same as Cam, I also first thought that only crazy adrenaline junkie will do this kind of sport. I realy love the details about bull riding, ranch living, cowboy, and also war through the yes of ordinary people. We saw war news everyday on TV. It seems faraway and disconnected with our life. Sometimes it's also easy to just point finger at USA to blame for meddling and starting the Iraq war....However when you become a witness, soldier or the family of the
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Jul 31, 2010
Handd51
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Jan 22, 2010
Susan
rated it:
This is the second injured Iraq war relative book I have read for NYRA Intermediate 2011. The author seems to get inside the thoughts of a teenage, rural skateboarding younger brother, and it does take place in Nevada so that has some merit for NYRA. Being from Las Vegas, I too don't know first-hand the rural lifestyle but I could follow the story. It was interesting to get into this world of chores, cowboys, and dealing with a suddenly disabled family member and how that effects the entire fami
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Mar 29, 2009
Caroline
rated it:
One of the only books I've read for kids that deals with the war in Iraq and the devastating impact the return of a wounded soldier can have on a family. An important topic explored in a mediocre book...
Cam O'Mara lives in a small town in Nevada and spends his time helping out on the family ranch and skateboarding. When his older brother returns home from fighting in the Iraq war badly injured, Cam becomes drawn to bull riding. Cams confusion over his feelings towards his brother and the More...
Cam O'Mara lives in a small town in Nevada and spends his time helping out on the family ranch and skateboarding. When his older brother returns home from fighting in the Iraq war badly injured, Cam becomes drawn to bull riding. Cams confusion over his feelings towards his brother and the More...
Dec 15, 2010
Jessi
rated it:
This book is not something I would typically read because, I'll confess, I am not a lover of anything rodeo, but I was interested in reading it because it looked like something fresh and different from the usual book for middle grade students.
I really enjoyed reading it because of Cam's perspective. His emotions were portrayed perfectly for a boy of his age, realistically mixing his worry for his brother with his worry for himself. He has to overcome living in the shadow of his semi-fa More...
I really enjoyed reading it because of Cam's perspective. His emotions were portrayed perfectly for a boy of his age, realistically mixing his worry for his brother with his worry for himself. He has to overcome living in the shadow of his semi-fa More...
Oct 03, 2009
Barbara
rated it:
Cam O’Mara likes to skateboard with his best friend, Mike Gianni. But there is a family legacy of champion bull riders; his grandpa Roy and his big brother Ben were both championship bull riders. When Ben goes back to Iraq for the last three months of his tour after his leave from the marines, he is severely injured by an IED, improvised explosive device. Cam has a difficult time dealing with his brother’s injuries which include paralysis from traumatic brain injury and the loss of his left hand
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Jul 24, 2011
Monica
rated it:
Had to read this for my children's and young adult class, but I enjoyed it. I think this would be a great book for teenage boys, since the protagonist is a 15 year old skateboarder who lives on a ranch in Nevada and gets into bull riding after his older brother is injured in Iraq. The first person point of view reveals his struggle to deal with his brother's injury and his family's suffering as a result, as well as his brief bouts of selfishness and regrets about not thinking before speaking.
May 31, 2010
Haley
rated it:
I'm surprised that this book has such high ratings. I didn't think the writing was impressive, and I found myself quite bored with the plot. I can't figure out why it was chosen for a Lonestar book other than the story of his older brother, Ben, coming back seriously injured from Iraq and the toll this takes on the family. I felt like the author did a lot of telling rather than showing, and the book just didn't flow well. As a parent, I especially didn't like how Cam was sneaking around behi
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Apr 05, 2009
Diana
rated it:
I picked up this debut novel because Cam O'Mara, the fourteen-year-old protagonist is a skateboarder and skateboarding is really the only sport I actually enjoy watching (ok so I like jr. college baseball, too, only not nearly as much). While the pacing was slow I kept with the book because I liked the rural western setting and the authentic characters. It's also about time we had a book that deals with what happens to a family when a loved one returns from war with devastating injuries.
Aug 04, 2011
Emily
rated it:
“Bull Rider” had its highs and lows for me. While I was really interested in the setting and the bull riding, I found the pacing to be a little weird, almost circular or repetitive. The characters kept repeating their actions in order to accomplish their goals; this cycle, though perhaps realistic, threw off the pacing of the book. However, I liked the characters a lot, and the bull riding descriptions were fascinating. The end comes with a charming twist.
Jul 21, 2010
Pat
rated it:
Interesting story of a young boy, Cam, whose older brother, Ben, (a former bull-riding champion) returns from Iraq paralyzed. Cam prefers the challenges of skateboarding to bull riding but finds himself competing at the rodeo to win the money to help pay for his brother"s rehabilitation. What is best about this book is that it covers an array of issues, some personal and some political, but manages not to take sides while rendering the story of a young boy's coming of age.
Jul 28, 2011
Heather
rated it:
I loved this book! Cam is a charming narrator who I liked right away. The secondary characters, especially Grandpa Roy and Grandma Jean, are fabulous as well. I like that the story brings up the idea of the morality of war in a way that young readers can understand, and it presents it as a complicated issue without one clear-cut right or wrong answer. The end comes with a nice twist that I enjoyed. This is definitely one of my favorite children's books of this year.
Sep 13, 2009
Michelle
rated it:
This wins the award for the best book with the worst title and packaging. Though bull riding is a significant aspect of the story, the bigger themes, including coping with the traumatic injury of a family member and the effects of war on family, take center stage. The reading level is not at all difficult, but the content is definitely engaging and relevant to middle school readers. I highly recommend this for reluctant readers.
Apr 25, 2011
Jd
rated it:
I thought that this book was AMAZING!!! I really enjoyed reading this book one, because i love bull riding and i love to watch it too! the second reason why i love this book is because i also herd cattle and i love doing it!! if you love cows or love the rodeo or love the loving of family getting along then you will love the book!!!
i suggest this book to actually everybody, because i think that everybody will enjoy it!!
i suggest this book to actually everybody, because i think that everybody will enjoy it!!
Mar 26, 2010
Nick
rated it:
I really liked the book it was exiting and sad but it got happy at the end. Cam rode ugly the bul, he bet his brother he could ride and if he rode it his brother could not give up hope. Ben Cams brothe was in the mariens and was injured in iraq. Then Cam rode bulls for the first time and he kept doing it behind his mothers back. Over all i really enjoyed the book, and i am going to read the rest of the lone stars hopefully.
Jun 26, 2010
Marcia
rated it:
Cam O'Mara, a 14 year old skateboarder, learns that his older brother is severely injured in the Iraq War. The story shows how he copes with his brother's injury and depression by taking up a family sport: bull riding. The characters are realistic and charming - especially the grandmother. The story gets a little corny in some places, but in an endearing way. You can't help but root for the boy.
