Fouling Out

by Gregory Walters

Craig and Tom have been friends since second grade, but that was five years ago and Craig is getting sick of Tom's out-of-bounds behavior. When Craig begins to realize that he may have more potential in school than he ever thought, he starts to distance himself from Tom, who is both the class clown and the school bully. But severing ties with an old friend is never easy, and a foolhardy incident in a local park pulls Craig back into Tom's orbit. Faced with the realities of Tom's home life, Craig must determine the limits of this volatile friendship.

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Gregory Walters was born in Hamilton, Ontario. When he was thirteen, his family moved to Texas. He began his teaching career in Dallas, earned a law degree in Los Angeles and eventually settled in British Columbia where he's worked as a teacher and principal. Currently writing full-time, Gregory spends his free time running, cycling, hiking, travelling, snapping photos and, of course, reading.

Reviews

[Chris]

It's not easy living in a house which requires more effort to move forward in life. Craig has been friends with Tom since second grade. Tom had trouble with his drunken dad for most of his life. Craig is looking for change in his life, but there is just one thing holding him back; Tom. People at school look down on Craig because he hangs out with Tom. Craig started to play sports his 7th grade year of school. He found he was somewhat talented at sports. He also discovered that it could be very useful because it could separate him from Tom, which meant less trouble. As the years went on Craig became more athletic and started making more friends. People liked him because he was smart and succeeding in his extra curricular activities. Tom on the other hand started to become jealous. Craig was alright with that because he had better friends. Craig still had feelings for Tom deep down because he knew Tom's situation at home, so he tried to talk to Tom to try and convince him to play basketball and other sports with him. The first time it didn't go so well, and neither did the second. They always say the third time is the charm, and that is about right. Craig asked Tom one last time and got his wish. Tom became more like Craig as time went on, and they both became more skilled at their sports and better at school. They also became more popular as a pair.

Craig has successful parents, but they aren't always home. His dad is a business man and is always gone on business trips across the nation. His mother is a school teacher, but she never leaves the school. She is dedicated to her job. When she isn't at school, she volunteers at her church. Craig has a bright future and he knows it. He is very smart but sometimes doesn't pay attention in school because he gets negatively influenced by Tom. As this book goes on Craig realizes what he has to do to become more successful in life. It wasn't hard for him to brush Tom off, but it is what he had to do to become the "new him." Thankfully Craig had a big heart and wanted to help out his old friend. He was much better off with his best bud from grade school.

Tom, on the other hand, was a very troublesome kid who loved to get into trouble, but also liked falling in love. He wasn't very good at the whole "love" thing, but at least he tried. Tom's dad was a drunk and was super verbal with him and his friends. Not much was said about his mom. She was rarely home because of business. Tom was always depended on to take care of himself because his dad would work, come home, drink, and then off to bed he went. Tom wasn't a very loyal friend to Craig. Tom only paid attention to Craig when it benefited him. As the book went on Tom also received a wake up call to reality. Tom was left in the dust because he was just holding Craig back. Tom didn't like that. He eventually became friends with Craig again and put in the effort to change his ways. Tom joined sports and extra curricular activities.

I rate this star 4 out of 5 because I thought it gave really good teaching lessons but didn't have a ton of detail. I thought that this book should be read by more teens because its a good book to keep you focused and attached. It was good because it was short and my attention span isn't very long. For the kids out there that are just like me this would be a good book, It is about sports so it grabs your attention just a little more than other books. I recommend this book to teen males from the ages of 14 to 18 that are into sports. The reason being is the book is based on a male's way of life and how they think. This book can teach you a lot in just a short time.

[Tyler Blevins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book to me, is a solid 3. I think for how serious the book takes itself it really downgrades itself. It's also is just unrealistic, Tom accidentally shoots a window, so he runs away to a house, that is visibly not stable for a child, goes into a freezing river, and almost kills himself due to hypothermia. In my opinion i think the book isn't something you'd want to read if you're a book critic or whatever because the book isn't really well thought out. The plot of the book is also pretty dumb because in the starting of the book they use the shoot as the main plot point, but then eventually forget about it near the end like it never happened. They don't use it as a plot point all the way through. A few days after he leaves, most people just forget about it, and when he comes back after hiding in the river they just forget about it.

Overall this book is a 2 out of 5 because of how lazy the writing is how they don't fully explain or expand on certain points and plot points and really just forget about it. If this book wasn't an orca currents book it probably explains most of he inconsistencies because most orc current books are made for children and are pretty easy approachable for reading comprehension (elementary level), not focusing on the tiny nitpicks people may have.

[bean bezos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling out is a book about two grade 7 boys who have very different families. Craig the protagonist has a normal household with a normal family. He has an older sister and a mom and a dad. Meanwhile Tom family isn't stable he has a drunk abusive dad and a mom who just goes to church and prays. He also has two brothers and a sister who lives in the basement and does pot and smoke all day. Tom finds a gun in his dad's closet and shows it to Craig. Tom wants to go shooting birds but Craig doesn't want to. Tom forces Craig to go and they go to the school grounds and go to shoot birds. Tom is about to shoot a bird but Craig pushes Tom and Tom ends up shooting someone's window. Which ends up leading to Tom and Craig having to lie and keep it secret to everybody. It goes on the news and Craig and Tom are scared that the police will find out.


The storyline is very interesting and I recommend this book to teachers to read to students. The book is interesting because the story gets very crazy and chaotic and is so fun to read.

[Gurman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling Out is a book about two 7 graders named Craig and Tom. Craig lives with a normal family with a normal house but Tom has a not a normal family. Craig is a normal kid and Tom is a trouble maker. Craig dad is a hard worker so Craig mom does not need to work so she can just help around town and his sister is a track runner. With Tom family his dad was drank on a school Christmas day so there are rumours about he is a drinker and rumours about his sister is also take drugs but we know his mom goes to church mainly everyday and two brother but one we have no information about him. Tom and Craig but mainly Tom have really big problem. I like this book because how they do so much in a short book. It's amazing how the author can do so much in a little time ad it does not take hours to find something you can in little time.I would recommend this book to 10 years or higher who are trying to get over someone left to a different place you might feel sad they left this is a book about that so you can see all around they world is feeling that just you.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fouling out is a book about two 7th grade boys named Tom and Craig. Their home life's are completely different. Craig has a comfortable home, while Tom does not. Tom and Craig have been friends since 2nd grade but Craig is starting to get fed up with Tom and his "out-of-bounds" behaviour. So little by little Craig started to distance himself from Tom, since he didn't want to be influenced by the school bully, and class clown while he's trying to catch up on work. Later on, Craig realizes the reality of Tom's home life and the reason he acts the way he does. Craig is determined to help Tom as much as he can.


I give Fouling Out a 3 star review because overall, the book was pretty good but I just wasn't that into it. When we read it I was always reading ahead, but that may just be because I'm a pretty fast reader. My favourite character was probably Tom. His story was so intriguing and his story was definitely interesting. You may like it more then me, and I would recommend it to an age group of 11-14.

[Shaydad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling Out is about two grade 7 boys named Tom and Craig. Craig lives in a comfortable home. He has a nice loving mom and a dad that has a good job. While Tom lives in a not so comfortable home because Toms dad is a alcoholic and abusive but his mom is a nice person but can't control her kids. One day Tom shows up at Craig's house and shows a gun to Craig. Tom brings Craig outside to shoot a squirrel but Craig stops Tom from shooting the squirrel. The gun misses the squirrel but hits a house. This incident caused a lot of problems for Tom and Craig.

When I first read the book I thought it was going to be not interesting but it was kind of interesting on how Tom ran away from home and Craig tried his best of helping him. I would recommend this book to people that lost their best friend because Craig lost his best friend because Tom went to a different town and didn't see Craig again.

[Navean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fouling Out is a book about two 7th grade boys named Tom and Craig. Tom and Craig have completely different families. Craig has a stable home to live in while Tom does not. Craig lives in a safe home with plenty of support. Tom has to live with an abusive and alcoholic dad. The two boys have been best friends for along time but they interfere with some challenges throughout their journey together. Tom and Craig faced a challenge with a gun. Craig starts to question his friendship with Tom. Tom gets into some trouble and runs away because of his father. Tom and Craig soon gets separated.

Although I know many people have enjoyed Fouling Out but I do not enjoy it that much. I would recommend this book to kids around 11-14 maybe. I feel like people who might have lost their best friends would be able to relate to the ending.

[Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling Out is about two seventh grade boys, Tom and Craig. They both live with their families but have very different home lives. Craig lives in a normal supportive home with his sister, mom, and dad, while Tom lives in a not very good household with his sister who supposedly does drugs, his dad who does not treat his kids very well, and his mother who is known to be "weak". At the beginning of the story you can notice Craig is a bit fed up with Tom, but grows to learn there's a story behind the way Tom acts.


I gave Fouling Out three stars because it shows a good example of friends growing together and becoming more comfortable with each other. This book is good for anyone who likes a good storyline with creative characters.

[Trystan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling Out is a book about two 7th grade boys their names are Tom and Craig are best friends. Craig's family is chill and nice Craig's Mom is a retired nurse and volunteers and Craig's dad is a business man. Tom's family is harsh and His dad abuses Tom and Tom's dad showed up drunk at a Christmas party and his mom prays a lot and at church most of the time and Tom's sister there are rumour's that Tom's sister does drugs and smokes pot in the basement. Tom's older brother we don't know much about him. Tom's other brother Jerry plays a huge role in the end.

I give this book 4 stars because when I read it with my class I wasn't here for some of it I like this book because I love action. I would recommend this book to who likes high school books and who like action.

[Diptvir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling out is a book about two 7th graders Craig and Tom. Their life is very different Craig lives in a "big house" but Tom doesn't. Craig and Tom have been friends since second grade, but Craig is getting sick of Tom's behaviour. When Craig starts to realize that he may have more potential in school than he thought, he starts to distance himself from Tom. Tom is both the classroom clown and the school bully. An incident in a local park pulls Craig back into Tom's life. Faced with the realities of Tom's home life, Craig must determine the limits of this volatile friendship.

I would recommend his book to a 7th grader who is struggling with friendship or getting bulled. I would rate this book 4 stars because I liked the story line and the way it was presented.

[Ishret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fouling out is a book about two 7th graders named Craig and Tom. Craig's family is a regular family but Toms family life isn't the best. One day Craig and Tom go to a forest Craig doesn't want to go to the forest because Tom has a gun to kill a squirrel but Craig doesn't want that to happen so Craig pushes Tom. When Tom shoots the squirrel but the bullet didn't hit the squirrel it hits the window of a house. Now Tom and Craig have to face the consequences of what they have done.


I rate the book "Fouling Out" 5 stars because I liked the topic about the book and the chapters were a good size and the book wasn't to long and I would recommend this book to middle schoolers because the book includes drugs and addiction but overall great book and I would definitely read this again!

[SCYTHE]

Fouling Out is a story about two 7th graders named Craig and Tom.Craig's life is good because he has a loving mom and a dad who has a good job and Tom's life is not that great because his dad is alcoholic and abuses him a lot his mom loves him a lot and a sister who smokes pot.One day Tom finds a gun in his house and Tom want to shoot a squirrel but Craig jumped on Tom to shoot a family window on Saturday





When I first stared reading this book I really wanted to finish the book because it really pulls you in the book.I would recommend this book to people who like to read and have a happy reading.

[Kritika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about 2 grade 7 boys, there names are Craig and Tom. They both have VERY different families, Craig's family is cozy while Tom's family has dreadful, awful and unpleasant. They both go through a lot in this book involving crime and other awful things.
I recommend this book to middle schoolers because I think they would enjoy it the best and like a class reading book.

[Lileigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

fouling out is about two boys in seventh grade , one named tom and the other is craig. craig has a nice home life well tom does not. they both have siblings that are older. they go thru many challenges involving crime and other issues.

I would recommend this book to middle school kids, because the boys in the book are in middle school and i feel like they would be able to relate.

[Harjeevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fouling Out is about two 7th graders named Craig and Tom. The two boys have very different home lives from each other, Craig lives with his mom, dad and sister and Tom lives with his mom, dad, sister and his dog Archie, he also has two brothers but they both don't live with them. Craig and Tom have been friends since grade 2 and they both don't have other friends because Tom isn't very kind to the other kids. Craig starts staying after school because he wants help with math and other subjects, Tom doesn't like that Craig's staying after school because they could be playing basketball. Tom shows Craig something that makes them stop talking to each other and makes Craig start questioning their friendship.

I gave Fouling Out 4 stars because it was a very interesting book and I enjoyed the plot twists that come along with it. I would recommend this book to people who like plot twists and are in middle school because maybe they could relate to it.

[Amrit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fouling out is a book about two 7th graders named Tom and Craig. Craig has a more of a peaceful house where Tom has a more "not so peaceful house". They both have very different personalities, Tom is more violent and Craig try's to focus on his studies. They both have a lot of arguments/disagreements. But that does not mean they don't have things in common, they both like basketball and in school they have similar taste in things to talk about, but one day something happens that changes both of their lives.

I really enjoyed this book, when you read one chapter you would want to read another because the story gets intimidating chapter by chapter. I would recommend this book to teachers teaching gr.6 to any grade.

[Manreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fouling Out is about Craig and Tom, who are in grade seven. Craig and Tom have been friends for a while, but Craig wants to make more/new friends. These two boys have quite different families, Craig's dad is a businessperson, and his mom is a volunteer, but she used to be a nurse. Tom's dad is an alcoholic, and his mom is considered weak. In this book we go through the highs and lows of Tom and Craig's friendship.


I gave Fouling Out three stars because it is an enjoyable book, but it needs a lot of patience which I do not have at times. I recommend this book for people who have patience and for other seventh graders.

[Gia208 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this book both as a read aloud and for reading response and comprehension in my grade 7 classroom. Set locally in Richmond BC, the plot deals with many highly relatable challenges faced by 12 to 13 year olds with regard to friendship, school and all around growing up. Even students who are self professed non readers ask to take this one home to read ahead.

This book is excellent for reading comprehension strategies such as making connections, making inferences and transforming thinking.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...reviewed for SLJ. Not impressed.