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74th out of 94 books
—
332 voters
Gentlemen
by
Michael Northrop (Goodreads Author)
This debut YA novel combines the wrong-side-of-the-tracks edginess of books like THE OUTSIDERS and FREAK THE MIGHTY and the searingly honest storytelling of authors like Chris Lynch and John Green.
Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher...more
Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
April 15th 2009
by Scholastic Press
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Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Michael and his friends are treated like Gentlemen by the one teacher in school who might understand them. They're a bunch of misfits who dislike school. One of Michael's friends gets himself into trouble during class. He disappears from the classroom - and from town.
No one can find him and he's not picking up his cell phone.
The boys are worried - especially given the lesson from their English teacher the day before. He brought in a heavy barrel an...more
Michael and his friends are treated like Gentlemen by the one teacher in school who might understand them. They're a bunch of misfits who dislike school. One of Michael's friends gets himself into trouble during class. He disappears from the classroom - and from town.
No one can find him and he's not picking up his cell phone.
The boys are worried - especially given the lesson from their English teacher the day before. He brought in a heavy barrel an...more
I did really like this book, Gentlemen by Michael Nothrop. It’s the kind of book that’s kind of confusing in the beginning but you know what’s going on.
It’s about these four guys in high school, Mike, Mixer, Tommy, and Bones. They are the four best friends against basically the whole school. They were all friends since elementary, expect Tommy who they met in freshmen year. Everyone at their hight school gnomes them or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them.
But one day Tommy flips out in scho...more
It’s about these four guys in high school, Mike, Mixer, Tommy, and Bones. They are the four best friends against basically the whole school. They were all friends since elementary, expect Tommy who they met in freshmen year. Everyone at their hight school gnomes them or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them.
But one day Tommy flips out in scho...more
As a teacher, you teach. But, you teach to your audience and you have to remember who your audience is and not teach below them or above them, or you lose them. Mr. Haberman forgets this basic principle in this book and although his target audience is the right age to handle the material he is presenting, their maturity is not where it needs to be. Whether it is above or below, that is you the reader to decide. Michael, Mixer and Bones are not the least bit interested in what he has to offer in...more
I did enjoy this book, Gentlemen. Its about these four dudes in high school, Mike, Mixer, Tommy, and Bones. Four best friends against basically the whole school. They were all friends since elementary, except Tommy who they met in freshmen year. But one day Tommy flips out in school under pressure and flips over a desk! Later he goes missing and the rest of the group suspect thier english teacher who kept reading about murder stories and cover ups, had killed Tommy and got rid of the body! So wh...more
This book in a word: typical.
It was simply okay. The plot was nothing special, somewhat predictable.
First off, the title is misleading. I can only remember Mr. Haberman calling the four boys "gentlemen" twice. If your going to use a certain phrase to add a creep factor in your book, you better use it obsessively.
Anyway, I have to say that it was suspenseful. After the 'deed' was done, I could feel the characters' anxiousness. I could feel their nerves frying to a crisp. However, that suspense w...more
It was simply okay. The plot was nothing special, somewhat predictable.
First off, the title is misleading. I can only remember Mr. Haberman calling the four boys "gentlemen" twice. If your going to use a certain phrase to add a creep factor in your book, you better use it obsessively.
Anyway, I have to say that it was suspenseful. After the 'deed' was done, I could feel the characters' anxiousness. I could feel their nerves frying to a crisp. However, that suspense w...more
This book deceives you. The cover is very engaging, and the explanation of the plot on the side-flap makes it seem as if this is a gritty, fast-paced trhiller that is dark, creepy and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Well, explanations are supposed to make you feel that way, right? ;) But reading the the story is a whole other thing.
Ok, good things first. I really enjoyed the reality of the characters. Four teenage outcasts, hanging out, living life. Drinking, smoking, hav...more
Ok, good things first. I really enjoyed the reality of the characters. Four teenage outcasts, hanging out, living life. Drinking, smoking, hav...more
Let me start by saying this book stands out...literally. The cover of the book is a boy in a body bag. But don't let the cover fool you...after all we've all heard the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover" This book I have recommended for the Summer Reading list. It is a wonderful read. I had been wanting to read this book for a while and as soon as I read it I didn't want to put it down. The main plot of the story is: Michael, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones are pretty much the bad asses of their s...more
The evidence we had at this point basically boiled down to this:
Tommy, who was missing: It wasn't the first time, but it was still unusual.
Haberman, who was weird: Always had been but was reaching new heights lately.
The barrel: It was the first time Haberman had done anything like that in class.
Whatever was in the barrel: Could've been a deer, could've been a dude, but it seemed like some sort of a dead body.
What Haberman said about disposing of a dead body: See above.
What Haberman said about cr...more
Tommy, who was missing: It wasn't the first time, but it was still unusual.
Haberman, who was weird: Always had been but was reaching new heights lately.
The barrel: It was the first time Haberman had done anything like that in class.
Whatever was in the barrel: Could've been a deer, could've been a dude, but it seemed like some sort of a dead body.
What Haberman said about disposing of a dead body: See above.
What Haberman said about cr...more
Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones are those kids, the ones that barely pass each class just to graduate, are avoided by most other kids out of fear, and are basically going nowhere in life. No one takes them seriously because they come from the wrong side of mostly everything. At least they have each other. But the disappearance of one of the friends starts to dissolve the glue that holds the rest together. Wild guesses, twisted conclusions, and unchangeable actions later, and none of their lives...more
I have to say I really liked this book, even though the premise was a little convoluted and contrived. But, its realism with regards to the voice of the teenager was true and will speak to young adult readers.
Micheal (the narrator), Bones, Mixer, and Tommy are a group unto themselves in high school. Mr. Haberman, their English teacher, challenges them with Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky even though it is a remedial class. He brings a barrel filled with a questionable substance (is it a body...more
Micheal (the narrator), Bones, Mixer, and Tommy are a group unto themselves in high school. Mr. Haberman, their English teacher, challenges them with Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky even though it is a remedial class. He brings a barrel filled with a questionable substance (is it a body...more
Mike narrates and navigates the hallways of life and his high school in this chilling tale of a friend who goes missing. Mike, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones are all friends in the remedial classes at TITS High School. But they are also hard core, damaged in one way or another, don’t like too many people, and scare most of the students with their attitudes. The problems start with Tommy flipping over a desk in math class (he has a lisp) and won’t answer the teacher because he can’t say the word “three....more
I started reading this book one day a year or two ago--I think I had picked up a copy for my classroom when Borders was going under or something, just on a hunch that some of my kids would like it. I only got about thirty pages in before lending it to a student or having to put it down for some other reason--that happened a lot, and it was unusual that I'd go back to books like that. But I remembered the dark, ominous, funny first thirty pages. And I remembered them. And remembered them. (Freque...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Micheal (whose father couldn't properly spell his name on the birth certificate) is a high school sophomore stuck in remedial classes because, according to the school, he doesn't "apply himself." He has 3 close friends, one of whom goes missing. While he and two of his friends try to solve the mystery of their friend's disappearance, they start comparing it to the book they are reading in class, "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoyevsky. Immediately suspicious that their English teacher might've had...more
The book i read was titled the Gentlemen written by Micheal Northrop. I thought this books was a great read in my opinion. I found it to be more interesting then other books i have read in the past with this same suspense horror genre. The main character of the book was named Micheal a troublesome teen in high school. He has friends who are equally as troublesome named Tommy, Mixer and bones. The story takes place in the small town of North Cambria. The story starts with them having a normal day...more
From Inside Cover:
Micheal, Tommy, Mixer and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks-they're from the wrong side of everything. No one at their high school takes them seriously, except Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher. Mr. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them-or, in Bone's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close- knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman.
The inside cover blurb doesn't do...more
Micheal, Tommy, Mixer and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks-they're from the wrong side of everything. No one at their high school takes them seriously, except Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher. Mr. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them-or, in Bone's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close- knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman.
The inside cover blurb doesn't do...more
Picked up books at Toadstool today and one of the people there recommended I read this. Glad I listened to her. I read it in a few hours and had to finish it once I started it.
This is going to be VERY popular with lower level guys and classes (girls will like it too) because the book is about them and how they perceive themselves based on how others treat them and how they think others view them.
Authentic language and references (expect some swears and sexual references). The ending is also rea...more
This is going to be VERY popular with lower level guys and classes (girls will like it too) because the book is about them and how they perceive themselves based on how others treat them and how they think others view them.
Authentic language and references (expect some swears and sexual references). The ending is also rea...more
This is a really tremendous novel. It's about a group of four high school "hard cases" in a small town. They're the kind of kids who probably don't show up enough in YA literature: poor, unambitious, wayward kids from the "slow" classes. The main character is Micheal (his dad spelled it wrong on the birth certificate), who has a half-closed eye from a beating he got from his dad. He pals around with three friends, one of whom goes missing at the start of the novel. The question: is he just missi...more
I can see this being a readalike for Liar (Larbalestier). It's not as complicated, but both stories are told by distinctive, funny unreliable narrators.
I really like Micheal's voice (that's not a misspelling, btw, his parents made a mistake on his birth certificate). He says exactly the type of infuriating but funny things that teenage boys say (or the things you know they're thinking/saying behind your back) but he's not so obnoxious that I wasn't sympathetic to him. His voice is so right that...more
I really like Micheal's voice (that's not a misspelling, btw, his parents made a mistake on his birth certificate). He says exactly the type of infuriating but funny things that teenage boys say (or the things you know they're thinking/saying behind your back) but he's not so obnoxious that I wasn't sympathetic to him. His voice is so right that...more
I was captivated by the cover of this book, leading me to think that this book was a kind of murder mystery. Disappointment came over me when I discovered that it wasn't. It was an interesting approach as I've never read a book written in a diary format, and was the sole reason as to why I decided to continue reading. The beginning was slow. In my opinion, if you were to compare the plot line to a pulse, there would be no pulse until the ending. Because I wanted to see what other people thought...more
Their classmates avoid them and their English teacher snidely refers to them as “gentlemen.” Mike, Mixer, Tommy, and Bones are four sophomores who don’t have to look far to find trouble. When one of the four goes missing, all the clues seem to point to their English teacher. Just what was in that heavy, knobby, jointed bundle wrapped in blankets that they helped him load into his trunk? And why does his lecture on Crime and Punishment seem to be directed at them?
This book has violence, some har...more
This book has violence, some har...more
Overall, this story was a big letdown.
It started nicely, with the narrator (Micheal) explaining what it’s like to be in the “R” group at school (R is for remedial). He and his three friends, Tommy, Bones and Mixer are just a few of the “R” kids. Very quickly into the book, Tommy disappears and the three wonder what happened to him. When I say they wonder, I really mean it! They spend about 170 pages doing NOTHING, except wondering where he could be and whether their odd English teacher, Mr. Hab...more
It started nicely, with the narrator (Micheal) explaining what it’s like to be in the “R” group at school (R is for remedial). He and his three friends, Tommy, Bones and Mixer are just a few of the “R” kids. Very quickly into the book, Tommy disappears and the three wonder what happened to him. When I say they wonder, I really mean it! They spend about 170 pages doing NOTHING, except wondering where he could be and whether their odd English teacher, Mr. Hab...more
Gentlemen is a book of wide proportions that you must open your mind in order to see outside the box. The story was compelling and one I had yet to see. The uniqueness of it I loved. So I can't imagine why so many people gave this book 3 stars? I thought this book was one heck of a read.
The moment I began this story I admit it was slow. It took a while for the build up to come and boy did it ever. Bones, Michael, Tommy, and Mixer are all good friends. They are all alike and troubled. Most teache...more
The moment I began this story I admit it was slow. It took a while for the build up to come and boy did it ever. Bones, Michael, Tommy, and Mixer are all good friends. They are all alike and troubled. Most teache...more
Mar 19, 2011
Lisa (lisaisbusynerding)
added it
in a sentence or so: Micheal, Tommy, Mixer and Bones are that group of rough-around-the-edges, nothing goes right for them, and quite frankly a bit scary type of guys. when Tommy goes missing in the middle of the school day, they assume he got detention for flipping his desk in class. but then when their english teacher starts stirring up some seriously intense discussion over the next few days, their minds start to wonder if Tommy missing, or something more...
Mixer is the one who can read other...more
Mixer is the one who can read other...more
I've been on this YA kick all month and I've been surprised at how much I've loved the books I've read. It's not really my genre, but I do have eclectic taste...at times.
The latest YA, GENTLEMEN, by Michael Northrope, was just as good as the others. I don't like to review books here but I do like to mention them when I really enjoy them. And this book, trust me, has a surprise twist at the end that I didn't see coming. And that doesn't happen often. Nine times out of ten I can predict the ending...more
The latest YA, GENTLEMEN, by Michael Northrope, was just as good as the others. I don't like to review books here but I do like to mention them when I really enjoy them. And this book, trust me, has a surprise twist at the end that I didn't see coming. And that doesn't happen often. Nine times out of ten I can predict the ending...more
This month I read the book "Gentlemen" by Michael Northrop. This book was really interesting. It was a little different from what I normally read but it was still a great book. This book is about four boys but in reality it is actually about one boy, Mike. Mike and his friends are considered outcast. Mike spends all his free time with his friends drinking and taking drugs. His family really has no interest with him. His dad hit him when he was a toddler disfiguring his face and his mom never ask...more
Gentlemen
by Michael Northrop
I have two words for this page-flipper. The novel is chock full of testosterone and paranoia. Three slackers and best friends at school start to suspect a teacher of murder—and as far as I'm concerned they have a very good reason to. The book was funny because it dripped with sarcasm and negativity. Now, that kind of humor isn't for everyone, it's a very, very dark sort of humor, but it amused me. I had to know what happened to the fourth best friend in the book, Tomm...more
by Michael Northrop
I have two words for this page-flipper. The novel is chock full of testosterone and paranoia. Three slackers and best friends at school start to suspect a teacher of murder—and as far as I'm concerned they have a very good reason to. The book was funny because it dripped with sarcasm and negativity. Now, that kind of humor isn't for everyone, it's a very, very dark sort of humor, but it amused me. I had to know what happened to the fourth best friend in the book, Tomm...more
Didn't realize this was not an "adult fiction" book until I got into it, (I picked it for the cover off the rack of free "advance reading copies" we get at the library) but it was still a good read. In fact, it got 4 stars instead of 3 because the teenage boy protagonist has the truest/most realistic voice I've read in fiction in a while -- he really sounds like a teenager, and the dialogue rings true to life as well. A fast-paced read, and enough intrigue and creep factor and mystery to entice....more
This YA novel is told from the perspective of Mike, a rough high-school sophomore from the wrong side of the tracks in rural New England. When Tommy, one of Mike's close-knit group of friends, goes missing and one of their teachers also starts acting stranger than usual, the boys find their lives and friendships coming apart under the stress of worry and suspicion.
I enjoyed Gentlemen and found some pleasant surprises in the way the plot twists were handled. It's much more of a gritty crime drama...more
I enjoyed Gentlemen and found some pleasant surprises in the way the plot twists were handled. It's much more of a gritty crime drama...more
I started this book in hopes a a great read, however disappointed, I just had a read. The cover makes absolutely no sense, (view spoiler) And the title is obtuse opposed to what the story actually entails.
So the story plays out in a shabby town, with shabby characters and a way too shabbyplot. Micheal (yes, it is spelled correctly) is an ugly boy with a slightly-above-though-not-above average mind.
His friend goes "missing" and Mic...more
So the story plays out in a shabby town, with shabby characters and a way too shabbyplot. Micheal (yes, it is spelled correctly) is an ugly boy with a slightly-above-though-not-above average mind.
His friend goes "missing" and Mic...more
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Michael Northrop's first young adult novel, Gentlemen, earned him a Publishers Weekly Flying Start citation, and his second, Trapped, was an Indie Next List pick and an ALA/YALSA Readers' Choice List selection. His middle-grade novel, Plunked, was named to the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. He was a senior editor at Sports Illustrated Kids from 2000-08, and h...more
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“The easiest thing to do with something that was bothering you was always to make fun of it.”
—
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