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Elvin #1
Slot Machine
They call it Twenty-One Nights with the Knights. But for Elvin Bishop--fourteen, overweight, and a self-proclaimed non-athlete--the summer "retreat" is more like the twenty-one trials of hell. As everyone around him slips smoothly into a slot in his chosen sport, Elvin is pounded on the football field, slammed on the baseball diamond, and tortured on the wrestling mat. An he still can't find a slot.But when his three weeks of torment come to an end, Elvin realizes that he's learned a thing or two. Like the value of a true friend. And the fact that everyone pays their dues sooner or later--even the guys on top.
From the acclaimed author of "Shadow Boxer" and "Iceman, " here is a raw, darkly funny story about growing up and finding a place in the world.
From the acclaimed author of "Shadow Boxer" and "Iceman, " here is a raw, darkly funny story about growing up and finding a place in the world.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
11 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Chris Lynch
61 books161 followersChris Lynch is the Printz Honor Award-winning author of several highly acclaimed young adult novels, including KILL SWITCH, ANGRY YOUNG MAN, and INEXCUSABLE, which was a National Book Award finalist and the recipient of six starred reviews. He is also the author of FREEWILL, GOLD DUST, ICEMAN, GYPSY DAVY, and SHADOWBOXER, all ALA Best Books for Young Adults; EXTREME ELVIN WHITECHURCH, and ALL THE OLD HAUNTS.
He holds an M.A. from the writing program at Emerson College. He mentors aspiring writers and continues to work on new literary projects. He lives in Boston and in Scotland.
He holds an M.A. from the writing program at Emerson College. He mentors aspiring writers and continues to work on new literary projects. He lives in Boston and in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 5, 2017
I couldn't finish the book. It took about half the book to actually start feeling the character which disappointed me. Once I got back into the book and started getting excited, the theme changes so rapidly. My review my not be that important as it seems like a interesting book at the end if you get there, but the journey is to tough as a reader
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June 9, 2020This marvelously written book takes you straight into a not-so-perfect teenager's head. Elvin Bishop is fat, weak, indefensive and insecure. He is going to a so-called "retreat", which is really just his new school. The camp is called "Twenty one nights with the knights". Elvin is always being picked on. He knows that the retreat is going to be terrible ever since the bus-ride to the camp when everyone starts picking on him and stealing his food. To Elvin, food is almost as precious as gold, so when they were stealing his food he felt miserable. To comfort himself he would look at the school's brochure, trying to image and pretend how much fun he would have there. His vision slowly fades away as he starts settling in. Almost immediately, everyone was picking on Elvin; his only defenses being his two best friends Mikie and Frankie. Out of those two his only real friend is Mikie because Mikie really understands Elvin. Frankie is his friend too but he isn't really a "real" friend, just someone who is nice to Elvin. Elvin feels that: "Frankie is just too perfect to be my friend".
The camp has a system of "slots", or places in sports. Elvin is just good for nothing, no sport seems to fit his personality, he tries football, soccer, baseball and finally when he thinks he found his place in wrestling, his hopes are turned down by the coaches when he is asked to leave because of other incoming students. Later when he finds a slot in art he meets new friends and finds out that strength doesn't always have to be physical.
Chris Lynch is a great author who takes you into the head of a 14 year old boy, revealing his thoughts and impressions. "Slot Machine" is mostly comedy and drama. If you are interested in a good, refreshing novel, then this is a book for you.
I was inspired to read this book because I play in no deposit slots keep what you win. I thought the book was about that. But I still did not regret that read book. Thanks to the author for a wonderful book)
The camp has a system of "slots", or places in sports. Elvin is just good for nothing, no sport seems to fit his personality, he tries football, soccer, baseball and finally when he thinks he found his place in wrestling, his hopes are turned down by the coaches when he is asked to leave because of other incoming students. Later when he finds a slot in art he meets new friends and finds out that strength doesn't always have to be physical.
Chris Lynch is a great author who takes you into the head of a 14 year old boy, revealing his thoughts and impressions. "Slot Machine" is mostly comedy and drama. If you are interested in a good, refreshing novel, then this is a book for you.
I was inspired to read this book because I play in no deposit slots keep what you win. I thought the book was about that. But I still did not regret that read book. Thanks to the author for a wonderful book)
July 23, 2024
Slot Machine was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager, and it is still great. Many reviewers have mentioned that they don't care for sports stories, but this book isn't about sports. It's about growing up. Elvin and his friends Mikie and Frankie go to a three-week summer camp before their freshman year at a Catholic high school. Elvin is overweight and not athletic, and is bullied by what seems like three-quarters of the school, until in the last week he finally finds the arts students in the library. Meanwhile, Frankie gets hazed by the "popular" jocks until he is finally accepted into their clique at the end of the story.
The least realistic part of this book is that there isn't a whole lot more cussing from the teenagers. Otherwise, all the emotions of feeling unwelcome, trying to find your place in the school and world, and finding yourself disappointed by the authority figures are all strikingly authentic. That isn't to say that this book is all angst, though, because it's downright funny. You feel for these kids, especially for Elvin and Frankie, but can't help laughing at the situations they find themselves in, many of which are caused by their own stubbornness and desire to belong.
The least realistic part of this book is that there isn't a whole lot more cussing from the teenagers. Otherwise, all the emotions of feeling unwelcome, trying to find your place in the school and world, and finding yourself disappointed by the authority figures are all strikingly authentic. That isn't to say that this book is all angst, though, because it's downright funny. You feel for these kids, especially for Elvin and Frankie, but can't help laughing at the situations they find themselves in, many of which are caused by their own stubbornness and desire to belong.
April 2, 2024
2.5 stars. Mostly tinged by nostalgia (I read this book in elementary school) and I remember feeling something important was happening here: something big, out of the grasp of my prepubescent understanding, but something important nonetheless.
It's been over twenty (25?) years since I've read this book and now, grown up and understanding a little bit more of life, I can see its shortcomings. The bigness of the book--that unknowable thing right out of the reach of my understanding as a 8/9 year old--falls a bit short though not for lack of trying.
The protagonist is extremely hard to like and weirdly queer-coded (like, if you're going to go for it, why not go for it?). The author, like his character, wusses out and half asses it even when given the opportunity to make a stand.
I'll be raiding my parent's library of my old books every time I go home now, seeing if I see things with new perspective.
It's been over twenty (25?) years since I've read this book and now, grown up and understanding a little bit more of life, I can see its shortcomings. The bigness of the book--that unknowable thing right out of the reach of my understanding as a 8/9 year old--falls a bit short though not for lack of trying.
The protagonist is extremely hard to like and weirdly queer-coded (like, if you're going to go for it, why not go for it?). The author, like his character, wusses out and half asses it even when given the opportunity to make a stand.
I'll be raiding my parent's library of my old books every time I go home now, seeing if I see things with new perspective.
October 12, 2017
The main character of this book was a 14 year old kid named Elvin bishop. the main conflict was about how he tries to survive high school /the bullying. yes, they do overcome this by having the right mindset. The kid loses a bit of weight and realizes not to care what other people have to say about him. The climax of this book is when he gets in a fight just because he's fat. i have seen this before it happened in 7th grade i kinda noticed some kids talking shit to a fat kid and then the kid got fed up to he hit first, but then the staff come and broke it up. the one thing i was curious about was what school he came from before. i honestly don't know why i just think of the most randomest things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2019
Life is tough and scary so why not add some dark humor? As a middle school teacher, I see plenty of students struggling with all types of transitions. This book's character is no different. As he leaves 8th grade and starts exploring where he will fit in at high school, he starts questioning himself, his friends, and life in general. I would recommend the book for the mature 8th grader through high school student. This book made me LOL, cringe, and reflect on my own past school transitions. Notable topics include: private school setting, sports, peer pressure to participate in illegal activities, friendships, and dealing with failure.
October 22, 2020
On one hand it is strange that some people could not finish the book. On another it is understandable, of course. Meaning that among gamblers there are nasty, idolizing money creatures too. But as for me, this book inspired me to write a few articles about iPhone casinos in Casumo and a really nice surprise was that they rewarded me for that. So, unknown are ways of God. I am glad I came across this book. And I wish all the best to the author.
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March 4, 2025*DID NOT FINISH* - So no rating from me.
My nephew's 7th grade teacher is having her students read books of increasing Lexile score over the course of the school year. This is one of the only books with a Lexile score above 1100 that I could find that *looked* like it would be appropriate for a 12-year-old.
Just to make sure, I decided to read it before handing it to my nephew.
On page 22, a friend of the 14-year-old narrator tells a story to all the boys in his camp cabin that implies he had some kind of romantic or sexual experience with a young and pretty nun, who was then transferred to a different Catholic school, and subsequently killed herself.
After "lights-out" in the cabin, the narrator tells us "...he was probably satisfied, after lights-out, to hear the symphony of rusty bedsprings eek-eeking all over the barracks."
Is the implication here that the boys are excited by the story and can't sleep? Is the implication that they are aroused and masturbating?
I can understand the goal of writing a book that reflects how 14-year-old boys actually act. And 14 year old boys can be pretty awful. But I think this is just a bit too much, at least for my 12 year old nephew. I stopped reading here.
If you're looking for a Young Adult coming-of-age novel with a high Lexile score, I highly recommend "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt, which won a Newberry award. My nephew read it last quarter and it was excellent.
As for this quarter, I'm going to keep searching.
My nephew's 7th grade teacher is having her students read books of increasing Lexile score over the course of the school year. This is one of the only books with a Lexile score above 1100 that I could find that *looked* like it would be appropriate for a 12-year-old.
Just to make sure, I decided to read it before handing it to my nephew.
On page 22, a friend of the 14-year-old narrator tells a story to all the boys in his camp cabin that implies he had some kind of romantic or sexual experience with a young and pretty nun, who was then transferred to a different Catholic school, and subsequently killed herself.
After "lights-out" in the cabin, the narrator tells us "...he was probably satisfied, after lights-out, to hear the symphony of rusty bedsprings eek-eeking all over the barracks."
Is the implication here that the boys are excited by the story and can't sleep? Is the implication that they are aroused and masturbating?
I can understand the goal of writing a book that reflects how 14-year-old boys actually act. And 14 year old boys can be pretty awful. But I think this is just a bit too much, at least for my 12 year old nephew. I stopped reading here.
If you're looking for a Young Adult coming-of-age novel with a high Lexile score, I highly recommend "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt, which won a Newberry award. My nephew read it last quarter and it was excellent.
As for this quarter, I'm going to keep searching.
August 20, 2018
BAD-DIDN'T READ
December 7, 2012
Chris Lynch gives his humorous yet compelling approach on an adolescent’s ordeals and coming of age in this comic novel that takes place in a summer retreat for incoming high school students called “Twenty-One Nights with the Knights”.
Elvin Bishop, a 14-year old, overweight, “funny guy”, that has a thing or two to say to those surrounding him, is required to do “relationship-building” sports with others. From the beginning, readers can already sense Elvin’s disinterest in doing sports. His two best friends Mike and Frank seem to be just fine, doing well in their “slots” and coming along while Elvin shows a lack of skill and is transferred out of every sport he tries until there are no sports available. Elvin regularly sends letters to his mother, often expressing his grief caused by her sending him where he currently is and reflecting on his experiences at Twenty-One Nights with the Knights. On a superficial level, Elvin encounters challenges such as being destroyed by football players, wrestlers and being harassed by the camp counselors and other students. Elvin also experiences conflicts within himself as he struggles to figure out where he belongs while everyone else is falling under labels and categories. One of the themes displayed in this novel is to feel comfortable with yourself.
The style in which this book was written kept me interested. It’s being told in first-person, through the eyes of Elvin Bishop. One of my favorite things about this novel was Lynch’s ability to trigger certain emotions from readers throughout the story with moments where they laugh with Elvin because of his wise and sarcastic comments, along with moments where they’d feel sympathetic towards him. However, the vulgar language that’s used in this book may not be suitable for younger readers. I chose this book because of how easy it is for the reader to relate to the protagonist, Elvin. It had me thinking of my days of being a big fish in a little pond, starting new as a small fish in a bigger pond.
Elvin Bishop, a 14-year old, overweight, “funny guy”, that has a thing or two to say to those surrounding him, is required to do “relationship-building” sports with others. From the beginning, readers can already sense Elvin’s disinterest in doing sports. His two best friends Mike and Frank seem to be just fine, doing well in their “slots” and coming along while Elvin shows a lack of skill and is transferred out of every sport he tries until there are no sports available. Elvin regularly sends letters to his mother, often expressing his grief caused by her sending him where he currently is and reflecting on his experiences at Twenty-One Nights with the Knights. On a superficial level, Elvin encounters challenges such as being destroyed by football players, wrestlers and being harassed by the camp counselors and other students. Elvin also experiences conflicts within himself as he struggles to figure out where he belongs while everyone else is falling under labels and categories. One of the themes displayed in this novel is to feel comfortable with yourself.
The style in which this book was written kept me interested. It’s being told in first-person, through the eyes of Elvin Bishop. One of my favorite things about this novel was Lynch’s ability to trigger certain emotions from readers throughout the story with moments where they laugh with Elvin because of his wise and sarcastic comments, along with moments where they’d feel sympathetic towards him. However, the vulgar language that’s used in this book may not be suitable for younger readers. I chose this book because of how easy it is for the reader to relate to the protagonist, Elvin. It had me thinking of my days of being a big fish in a little pond, starting new as a small fish in a bigger pond.
September 12, 2007
The YA Lit train rolls on with "Slot Machine". This book was neither fantastic nor in any way very bad. The only reason I didn't rate it higher was that it didn't really impact me that much, and I had a slightly hard time relating to a lot of the characters (I like sports, and loved them as a teenager - I was, apparently, a slotter).
Elvin: great name, so-so character. I enjoyed his journey from football (murder), to baseball (adventures in catching, that made my knees hurt in sympathetic memory), to wrestling (my favorite part), to religion (short-lived and scary), to arts (yay! for the non-athletic expressive kids). The only time I really liked Elvin was when he was actually making an effort to be a better wrestler. His brand of soft, emotional weakness made me feel more sympathy for the coaches than it made me feel for him. I wanted to be out there with a whistle making him do up-downs until he toughened up a little. Whoops. There I go being Midwestern and not concerned with coddling fifteen year old boys. In Elvin's defense, though, he made me laugh aloud with some of his reflections and letters home to mommy dearest.
Frankie: very, very disturbing. I've always been creeped out by people, specifically kids, who are more concerned with popularity than their own happiness. Frankie is a prime case of this - he spends the whole book being voluntarily abused (to a pretty shocking degree at the book's end) at the hands of a group of the student councilors at the school camp. These older boys apparently hold the keys to the school kingdom and are the only ones who can bestow it on Frankie, so he has to endure whatever they dish out. It's upsetting to witness and so incredibly stupid. His friends tell him it's stupid, he must know it's stupid, and yet it continues until he wins his prize at a very high cost. I'll never understand it, but it was well portrayed in this book.
In general, a perfectly amusing book with no major direction.
Elvin: great name, so-so character. I enjoyed his journey from football (murder), to baseball (adventures in catching, that made my knees hurt in sympathetic memory), to wrestling (my favorite part), to religion (short-lived and scary), to arts (yay! for the non-athletic expressive kids). The only time I really liked Elvin was when he was actually making an effort to be a better wrestler. His brand of soft, emotional weakness made me feel more sympathy for the coaches than it made me feel for him. I wanted to be out there with a whistle making him do up-downs until he toughened up a little. Whoops. There I go being Midwestern and not concerned with coddling fifteen year old boys. In Elvin's defense, though, he made me laugh aloud with some of his reflections and letters home to mommy dearest.
Frankie: very, very disturbing. I've always been creeped out by people, specifically kids, who are more concerned with popularity than their own happiness. Frankie is a prime case of this - he spends the whole book being voluntarily abused (to a pretty shocking degree at the book's end) at the hands of a group of the student councilors at the school camp. These older boys apparently hold the keys to the school kingdom and are the only ones who can bestow it on Frankie, so he has to endure whatever they dish out. It's upsetting to witness and so incredibly stupid. His friends tell him it's stupid, he must know it's stupid, and yet it continues until he wins his prize at a very high cost. I'll never understand it, but it was well portrayed in this book.
In general, a perfectly amusing book with no major direction.
October 17, 2016
Sports camp, every boys dream. Stinky boys playing football and other sports while living in old, hot, wooden cabins the whole summer. This young man named Elvin was sent to sports camp over the summer. Elvin had some hard times at camp. He learned that it's important to always work hard and don't give up.
When you are having a hard time, like the main character in this book, you should never quit with what you have started. The main character named Elvin has tried many sports, but he could not find a sport that he absolutely like, or was good at. Elvin wanted to play football and play quarterback. Elvin said, “ I have the mind of a quarterback.” The coaches decided that he looked like a lineman so they put him on the front line. He didn't want to be on the line so he didn't play as hard as he should have. He then heard that there was a baseball opening on the baseball team, so he quit football and played baseball for a while. Elvin always quit when the sport got hard, taking the easy way out. School came easy to him so he had a better work ethics in school than he did in sports.
Don't quit if you don't succeed at first. Elvin wasn't very good at football but he tried to get better. He told himself that he did want to get better but he didn't try that hard. When he quit football, he went to play baseball for the baseball team. He kept trying to be the best he could at baseball, but he couldn't catch the ball. When he quit baseball he went to the wrestling team. He worked really hard at wrestling and got a pin in his last match. He wasn't good at wrestling at first but he kept trying because he liked wrestling.
When you do your best you won't want to quit. Elvin does many different things at camp just so he can find something that he likes to do. If you really do like it stick with it. If you don't really like it at first keep trying and you may like it after all. Always try new things, because trying new things never hurts.
When you are having a hard time, like the main character in this book, you should never quit with what you have started. The main character named Elvin has tried many sports, but he could not find a sport that he absolutely like, or was good at. Elvin wanted to play football and play quarterback. Elvin said, “ I have the mind of a quarterback.” The coaches decided that he looked like a lineman so they put him on the front line. He didn't want to be on the line so he didn't play as hard as he should have. He then heard that there was a baseball opening on the baseball team, so he quit football and played baseball for a while. Elvin always quit when the sport got hard, taking the easy way out. School came easy to him so he had a better work ethics in school than he did in sports.
Don't quit if you don't succeed at first. Elvin wasn't very good at football but he tried to get better. He told himself that he did want to get better but he didn't try that hard. When he quit football, he went to play baseball for the baseball team. He kept trying to be the best he could at baseball, but he couldn't catch the ball. When he quit baseball he went to the wrestling team. He worked really hard at wrestling and got a pin in his last match. He wasn't good at wrestling at first but he kept trying because he liked wrestling.
When you do your best you won't want to quit. Elvin does many different things at camp just so he can find something that he likes to do. If you really do like it stick with it. If you don't really like it at first keep trying and you may like it after all. Always try new things, because trying new things never hurts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2010
Yeah, those dates are right. I read this one and What I Saw and How I Lied cover-to-cover in one day. And while this one didn't make me cry, I don't recommend the back-to-back readings, unless you are or would like to be insane.
Still, I liked this book. The humor was really well-done, so that I winced for Elvin without finding him whiny or his story depressing.
I appreciated the realism, too. One of my favorite parts was when Elvin first launched himself into wrestling, was startled to realize that he was good, really good, and then learned that he wasn’t allowed to do the stuff he’d been doing.
Naturally, the book was a downer in places. After all, most of it was bad thing after bad thing happening to a basically-good kid and sometimes his friends. If not for the humor, it would be unbearable (to me, at least).
Slot Machine could be heartening for readers who just are not athletic, no matter how hard they try - or who really don’t care to try, and wish everyone would just shut up about it. Elvin tries, and even thinks he has found a place in wrestling, but - as many kids and teens are heartbroken to discover - sometimes your best isn’t good enough for whoever is calling the shots. This can be brutally true with athletics, especially.
It's also great to have YA books that present overweight teen protagonists whose worlds go beyond being overweight, just as it’s good for them to show members of any underrepresented group as well-rounded characters, real people. Elvin is overweight, but he’s also hilarious, practical, and compassionate. This could make Slot Machine a good read for overweight teens, boys especially, who have a tough time finding themselves in mainstream YA literature.
Still, I liked this book. The humor was really well-done, so that I winced for Elvin without finding him whiny or his story depressing.
I appreciated the realism, too. One of my favorite parts was when Elvin first launched himself into wrestling, was startled to realize that he was good, really good, and then learned that he wasn’t allowed to do the stuff he’d been doing.
Naturally, the book was a downer in places. After all, most of it was bad thing after bad thing happening to a basically-good kid and sometimes his friends. If not for the humor, it would be unbearable (to me, at least).
Slot Machine could be heartening for readers who just are not athletic, no matter how hard they try - or who really don’t care to try, and wish everyone would just shut up about it. Elvin tries, and even thinks he has found a place in wrestling, but - as many kids and teens are heartbroken to discover - sometimes your best isn’t good enough for whoever is calling the shots. This can be brutally true with athletics, especially.
It's also great to have YA books that present overweight teen protagonists whose worlds go beyond being overweight, just as it’s good for them to show members of any underrepresented group as well-rounded characters, real people. Elvin is overweight, but he’s also hilarious, practical, and compassionate. This could make Slot Machine a good read for overweight teens, boys especially, who have a tough time finding themselves in mainstream YA literature.
October 12, 2016
Slot Machine is a realistic fiction book by Chris Lynch. I think that this book fits into the realistic fiction section because of the things that happened can happen in real life. I think that it is realistic fiction because it does not have flying people and cats talking. A book that has some of those things would be a fantasy or maybe sci-fi. And in this book everything is possible and it could even happen to someone. Therefore it is realistic fiction.
The book is about a boy named Elvin who is obese and his friends Frankie and Mike. His mom sends him to what seems like a camp to ready them for high school but is actually a sports camp. This turns out really bad for Elvin because he didn't want to go to the camp in the first place. And after him being not athletic and obese he does not like the camp. And even wants to run away on the second day!
A self conflict that he struggles with is his obesity and also kind of how he's acting. Sometimes he feels he is acting weird and doesn't help when his friends tell him. Also his obesity and his non-athletic ability does not help him. Overall I think one of his biggest problems though is his obesity and non-athleticism.
There are several man versus man conflicts. This is because of his opponents during football, baseball and wrestling. Some were just people that he faced and others we started to become enemies with.
I thought the book was okay. I would rate it a 2 1/2 stars out of 5. I thought this because I thought the book was pretty boring is sometimes and just OK and a little bit of it is a good book, but not much. I didn't like it because it didn't have too many exciting parts. I think any boy from 4th grade to 8th grade would enjoy this. I think that it would be too easy or too hard for anyone outside of the age recommendation and there is no girls in the book so girls would not like it.
The book is about a boy named Elvin who is obese and his friends Frankie and Mike. His mom sends him to what seems like a camp to ready them for high school but is actually a sports camp. This turns out really bad for Elvin because he didn't want to go to the camp in the first place. And after him being not athletic and obese he does not like the camp. And even wants to run away on the second day!
A self conflict that he struggles with is his obesity and also kind of how he's acting. Sometimes he feels he is acting weird and doesn't help when his friends tell him. Also his obesity and his non-athletic ability does not help him. Overall I think one of his biggest problems though is his obesity and non-athleticism.
There are several man versus man conflicts. This is because of his opponents during football, baseball and wrestling. Some were just people that he faced and others we started to become enemies with.
I thought the book was okay. I would rate it a 2 1/2 stars out of 5. I thought this because I thought the book was pretty boring is sometimes and just OK and a little bit of it is a good book, but not much. I didn't like it because it didn't have too many exciting parts. I think any boy from 4th grade to 8th grade would enjoy this. I think that it would be too easy or too hard for anyone outside of the age recommendation and there is no girls in the book so girls would not like it.
June 10, 2023
"21 Nights with Knights" is a camp for incoming freshmen at Christian Brothers Academy. Here, the boys go to find their slot in the school, something Brother Jackson is very serious about. And though it's NOT an athletic training camp (wink, wink), the slots are all athletic sectors. Into this environment comes three friends: Mikie, who they call Dad because he is the sensible, caring type but also tends to know everything; Frankie, the one on the threshold of popularity greatness, the one everyone likes because of his crazy stories and outrageous actions; and Elvin, the "fat kid" who doesn't believe in the slot machine. Mikie fits like a glove in the basketball sector (and everywhere else) and, of course, Frankie gets the most exclusive sector: golf and tennis. That leaves Elvin moving from sector to sector (football, baseball, wrestling) trying to find a slot that doesn't kill him.
Great characters. I like the strong sense of friendship and the emphasis on its importance in a hostile environment. Quiet realizations of grand and significant changes make this very believable.
Great characters. I like the strong sense of friendship and the emphasis on its importance in a hostile environment. Quiet realizations of grand and significant changes make this very believable.
December 14, 2012
The title of the book i just finished was Slot Machine by Chris Lynch. this was a book about the main character mikey. Mikey was a lonely kid and did not have many good friends at all.In the story mikey was sent tho a wrestling camp to get better at wrestling so he could improve his moves when he wrestles for his school.The one who sent him to the camp was his coach davey. As we get through the story mikey gets better and better at wrestling and then his coach gets more proud of him and so are his teammates.When he gets back they made a funny nickname for him 'RAGE' they call him this because hge is so quick with moves and tactical.I would recommend this book to 7th and 8th graders so that you can properly understand the book. I really liked this book because it was histarical and had lots of humor and lots of suprises!!!
September 25, 2007
Elvin Bishop is in the summer before high school. He is going with his two friends to the “21 Nights with the Knights,” which is ostensibly a summer camp, but in reality is a four-week recruitment for the athletic programs in his new high school. As the camp progresses, Elvin discovers he doesn’t fit into an easy “slot” and struggles to find out where he belongs.
Interesting. Definitely geared toward boys. This can be frustrating to read, but Elvin is a great underdog.
Interesting. Definitely geared toward boys. This can be frustrating to read, but Elvin is a great underdog.
Currently reading
September 21, 2007This is book is interesting so far. It is about a boy that believes that you dont need alot of friends, that you really only need two. He is not that very popular. He only hangs out with his two friends. He is on the football team but he really isn't that great, but no matter how bad he is he still has his two friends that has his back and cheer him up whenever he is feeling down.
April 7, 2010
Boys are "slotted" into different sports in the summer before their freshman year in a Catholic high school. Poor Elvin is a little fat and doesn't really fit in in any of the slots. He ends up in the Arts sector at the end just watching people. It is a good book but for the more mature reader. Many things about the boys private parts, sex and some hazing scenes.
September 2, 2016
I'm surprised that I've never rated this one before. I read it within a year or so of it coming out, and definitely liked it and booktalked it at the time. I think it's my favorite Lynch book (of the 3 or so that I've read). I came across this searching for his new book, which I don't see on goodreads for some reason.
June 20, 2008
If you like sarcastic and irreverent narrators this is a great choice. Elvin is not an athletic guy, nor is he a joiner, but he is forced to try and find his "slot" when he goes off to camp with his two best friends.
September 9, 2008
OVERWEIGHT 13 YR OLD IS SENT TO CAMP WHERE HE AND HIS TWO BEST FRIENDS ARE FORCED TO TRY VARIOUS SPORTS IN ORDER TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY BELONG.
GOOD PORTRAYAL OF TEEN BOYS AT CAMP. LYNCH IS GOOD AT DEPICTING INSENSITIVITY OF ATHLETES TOWARD THOSE NOT INCLINED TOWARDS SPORTS. HUMOROUS
GOOD PORTRAYAL OF TEEN BOYS AT CAMP. LYNCH IS GOOD AT DEPICTING INSENSITIVITY OF ATHLETES TOWARD THOSE NOT INCLINED TOWARDS SPORTS. HUMOROUS
October 5, 2009
Would never have chosen this for myself but read for YA class. Not as bad as I was afraid it would be, still uses some bad language, references to bestiality, masturbation, teen drinking, etc. I wouldn't recommend it to young kids, but that's just me.
April 26, 2010
I had to read this for my english class. It was definetly one of the most unappealing books i've evr forced myself to read. Elvin was easlily relate able, and his sarcasm was amusing, but overall i did not like the book. It was so... cliche. Fat kid goes to camp. boo hoo.
August 28, 2012
This was a very good book. It showed that anybody can do want they want to do by hard work. It shows how big it is to go from Junior High to Freshmen. It tells you about going from a boy to a man. The book is a great help in stepping up and giving you self confidence.
September 19, 2014
It's about this kid named Elvin who was fat and depressed couldn't find a sport to play because nothing he does is good enough but a good friend sticks with him and by the end they no what good friendship is and that you don't need sports to make you popular or better
March 26, 2008
A favorite YA read. Very funny.
Read
June 9, 2008JF Lyn
July 18, 2008
I thought I would hate this book but found the main character to be absolutey hilarious! A great read, to be sure.
December 29, 2009
Solid book. Middle schoolers will like it. It deals with struggles with friends, finding your own way, not being an athlete, dealing with fitting in. Heck, I liked it. :)
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