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Holding On (The Band #1)
by
Debra Garfinkle (Goodreads Author)
Michael Pomerantz doesn't have great expectations for high school-people are still calling him "Storky," his mom is dating his dentist, and his father can barely sit through their Sunday night dinners. The only bright spot so far is his weekly Scrabble game with an old-timer at the Senior center-not very encouraging.
But over the course of the year, things start to pick u...more
But over the course of the year, things start to pick u...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
August 7th 2007
by Berkley Trade
(first published April 21st 2005)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I read the book "Storky:How I Lost My nickname and Won the Girl." Grade 9 Up–Mike Pomerantz is dubbed "Storky" due to his height/weight proportions and is sweating out typical adolescent ups and downs in his first year of high school. He also contends with his parents' divorce and a disinterested, mid-life crisis father. Then there's "The Girl," Gina, whom he has known for years and has fallen in love with. He actually began keeping a journal (this book) in the hopes that she would view him as t...more
A quick read, packed with laughs, Storky tells the story of a gaingly, couch-potato nerd who wants little more than to leave his nickname behind.
A freshman in High School, Mike Pomerantz can’t quite seem to get a handle on life. His sister seems to have split personalities, he’s not sure how to relate to girls, he can’t see past his love for his friend Gina, and he thinks his sour relationship with his father is his fault.
When he starts to accompany his mother now and again to the local Seniors’...more
A freshman in High School, Mike Pomerantz can’t quite seem to get a handle on life. His sister seems to have split personalities, he’s not sure how to relate to girls, he can’t see past his love for his friend Gina, and he thinks his sour relationship with his father is his fault.
When he starts to accompany his mother now and again to the local Seniors’...more
I can't remember the last time (if ever) I read a book in one day. But this was a super quick and easy read... just a bit of brain candy. The premise was made for fun - one night in 2006, 17 year old wild-child Shay passes out in a Jacuzzi and wakes up in 1978. What ensues, including plenty of culture shock moments, is funny and sweet... and worth a read.
I like Duke, the old guy with his wheelchair wheelies at the Golden Village Retirement Home. I like how often this book is funny. And I like how unrelenting and unapologetic Michael Pomerantz, Storky, is about his obsession with sex. Thoughts of sex, one way or another, flood his mind and dominate almost every page. Sex sex sex sex.
Not that there’s any real description of sex in this book. Storky’s never even had a girlfriend. Maybe his all-consuming frustrated libido has something to do with h...more
Not that there’s any real description of sex in this book. Storky’s never even had a girlfriend. Maybe his all-consuming frustrated libido has something to do with h...more
hahaha! so after hard love i went on looking for YA books with male leads because, for some reason, their narratives are much more interesting to me. (maybe i've been reading too many "bad" books/chick-lit, idk, i wanted something less catty and shallow, i guess -- that doesn't involve a tragedy happening.) so i found this, it was pretty interesting and it was a fun read.
i can't really say much because it's been so long since i've finished reading this. i'm only updating my goodreads now, so i'...more
i can't really say much because it's been so long since i've finished reading this. i'm only updating my goodreads now, so i'...more
I was hopeful when I picked up this book. Hopeful because the author took a hit-or-miss concept-a high school girl accidentally traveling back in time to the 70's and influencing the lives of the people she meets there- and wrote a book about it. I think this story really shines, with well-rounded characters and an interesting setting. While I was not alive in the 1970's, the references are woven in and not blatantly obvious. There are some plotholes, though, which I beleive could have been easi...more
Nov 10, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
I was on memory road while reading this book.
Garfinkle has nailed the seventies. Since I was in college and high school at the time, I remembered many of the references that were mentioned. I was also blown away about how many things that I take for granted were not around then. For today's teens, though, this book is great!
Shay is a high school student in 2006. She is burned out with life and spends her days skipping school, getting high, and hav...more
I was on memory road while reading this book.
Garfinkle has nailed the seventies. Since I was in college and high school at the time, I remembered many of the references that were mentioned. I was also blown away about how many things that I take for granted were not around then. For today's teens, though, this book is great!
Shay is a high school student in 2006. She is burned out with life and spends her days skipping school, getting high, and hav...more
Nov 10, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Meet the newest garage band that just might make it big: Amber Road. And, like most bands, Amber Road is just full of drama.
Sienna is happy with how wonderful the band is coming along, and like her boyfriend, all her dedication and passion goes toward Amber Road. But there are two things that are confusing Sienna. First is why did her boyfriend, Mark, choose the new girl, Lily, to be the lead singer, and second, why is he flir...more
Meet the newest garage band that just might make it big: Amber Road. And, like most bands, Amber Road is just full of drama.
Sienna is happy with how wonderful the band is coming along, and like her boyfriend, all her dedication and passion goes toward Amber Road. But there are two things that are confusing Sienna. First is why did her boyfriend, Mark, choose the new girl, Lily, to be the lead singer, and second, why is he flir...more
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Amber Road is back with all new couples -- but the band is still the same. Everyone seems content with the outcome..well, almost everyone.
Sienna is happy that she and Mark have moved on, since for some reason they were never right for each other. Now Carter is in the picture. But Sienna can't be trying to get with him, especially when Tracie wants him back. For Sienna, it's Tracie's loss, since she was the one that decided to...more
Amber Road is back with all new couples -- but the band is still the same. Everyone seems content with the outcome..well, almost everyone.
Sienna is happy that she and Mark have moved on, since for some reason they were never right for each other. Now Carter is in the picture. But Sienna can't be trying to get with him, especially when Tracie wants him back. For Sienna, it's Tracie's loss, since she was the one that decided to...more
Nov 10, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
They thought their band trouble was over, but Amber Road just doesn't know how many more problems lie ahead of them.
Sienna is happily in love with her boyfriend, Carter, her knight in shining armor, since everything is going great for them, or so she thinks. The more time she spends with her band, the less time she has for Carter. Which doesn't make Carter too happy, since it seems like all Sienna cares about is the band. He w...more
They thought their band trouble was over, but Amber Road just doesn't know how many more problems lie ahead of them.
Sienna is happily in love with her boyfriend, Carter, her knight in shining armor, since everything is going great for them, or so she thinks. The more time she spends with her band, the less time she has for Carter. Which doesn't make Carter too happy, since it seems like all Sienna cares about is the band. He w...more
Stuck in the 70’s
In the novel, Stuck in the 70’s, you’ll meet the story of an average high school kid, Tyler who finds a girl, who mysteriously ends up in his bathtub, and is also a high school student, but from a different time. The structure of this book has a science fiction setting which explores the meanings and understandings of these two societies among the generational differences. The main character struggles to make the correct decisions in his life in order to become the person he wa...more
In the novel, Stuck in the 70’s, you’ll meet the story of an average high school kid, Tyler who finds a girl, who mysteriously ends up in his bathtub, and is also a high school student, but from a different time. The structure of this book has a science fiction setting which explores the meanings and understandings of these two societies among the generational differences. The main character struggles to make the correct decisions in his life in order to become the person he wa...more
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It was pretty good, but I had to get used to the weird moments. It's a boy's diary as a freshman but I think it is more of a guys only read... figured thay out when I was a few chaps in and I didn't want to stop so. I read it. But whatev.
Sep 05, 2011
Lizzie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-that-are-just-a-little-weird
This book was interesting. It definitely kept me laughing, but at the same time it disturbed me. It was predictable, but not at the same time. overall this book was weird and i don't think I'll ever read it again.
I liked the authentic teenage male voice here, and it was great to see Storky develop as a character. This book is more episodic and doesn't really have a huge plot, but the journal format makes it fun to read.
still not done with it yet, guess I'll finish it after dinner or tomorrow, hahah(who cares anyway)!Good Book by Debra Garfinkle! it got me into reading. uhh who's that dude on the cover anyway?cool..
Great young adult book. Sort of reminded me of an American Adrian Mole. Funny, with serious moments and a lot of heart.
Male version of Georgia Nicholson. Quite funny.
Storky. Sounds a lot like dorky, no? In reality, Mike Pomerantz isn't a total dork, but freshman year in high school can make a guy pretty sensitive to any and all criticism. Especially if it comes from his best friends. It can also make a guy pretty sensitive to his dad dating a new bimbo, and his mom dating his, ew, dentist. Mike actually comes out of his freshman year with relatively few lifelong scars-- the subtitle of Garfinkle's book is, after all, "how I lost my nickname and won the girl....more
The plotline really makes me think of One Tree Hill, trading boyfriend and girlfriends just seems like something I could see the OTH crowd do. With that said, I enjoyed reading Trading Guys. I was drawn into the series for the music aspect of things and would have liked to see more about struggling to make it in the music industry, but it was humoring to see some of the situations the whole trading thing created. It's a quick read and enjoyable.
I enjoyed reading The Band: Holding On more than the first book in the series. You get to see more of the struggles of a band making it into the music industry and the effects their person life has on them and their success. Once again it is a quick read and enjoyable if you have an interest in the music industry. I enjoyed it more during my earlier years of high school as opposed to my college years now.
Sep 04, 2010
Lisa Chung
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
advisory-2010-2011
Do these teens ave nothing to do? Who in the world would agree to swap boyfriends for the day. That is just stupid. I really hope that Tracie and Mark would regret ever agreeing to participate in this game. Swapping your boyfriends and girlfiends for one night of fun with others is just not worth it. this stupid game is just going to tear them all apart if they havnt already realized the minute they agreed to swap.
A classic coming-of-age story, nothing special, not very different than hundreds and hundreds other books with almost identical themes and events. We all go through this weird age, some of us just walk through it, some of us experiment, and others just go nuts. But, in the end, it is all very same, so I can`t help but question: do we really need so many identical books about puberty?
Jul 27, 2010
Fairbairn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
older teenagers
This book was a fun read that put the differences between the 1970s and the 2000s in an understandable perspective. Although there was some objectionable content (starting with the first sentence), the main character's overall change from selfish brat to compassionate friend redeemed the book. Equivalent to a late-night sitcom, I recommend this book to a mature audience.
Story of an 18 year old high school girl who falls asleep in her boyfriend's bathtub in 2006 and wakes up in someone else's bathtub in 1978.
The book has an interesting premise, but left me disappointed at the end. It's a lot of fun revisiting some of the 70's culture, but the story is not that spellbinding.
The book has an interesting premise, but left me disappointed at the end. It's a lot of fun revisiting some of the 70's culture, but the story is not that spellbinding.
Michael "Storky" Pomerantz started a journal in the hopes that it would make Gina think he was sensitive and then, inevitably, fall madly in love with him. It doesn't quite work out that way, but his humor and insight serve him well on his quest to lose the nickname and win the girl.
HILARIOUS!! What more can I say? Not that I have much in common with a 15 year old boy, but Mike's wit and sarcasm can hook just about anybody. Never before has "a day in the life of" an adolescent boy seemed so riveting! Enjoy this lighthearted and fast-paced read!
I thought the book was pretty accurate about how the 70's was (not that I would know--it just seemed like it portrayed it accurately, based on what I've seen in history books and documentaries and fictional media set in the time period).
This cannot be classified as a kid's book. This is for teenagers who love rock-related stories. I didn't like it very much though, because I don't understand if the story is too mature or too childish.
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