Rooster

by Don Trembath

Rooster Cobb is in trouble--with his school, with his mother, with his girlfriend. He smokes too much and he hates his stepfather. In fact, he might not graduate from high school. But he just doesn't seem to care. That is until the guidance counselor and the principal come up with a plan to get Rooster through grade twelve, out of their lives forever and possibly on the right track with his life. The last thing Rooster wants to do is coach The Strikers, a bowling team of special-needs adults, especially when he finds out he's going to be mentored by the most unpopular girl in school, the principal's daughter, Elma. When he starts to take coaching seriously, his friends make fun of him, and his girlfriend accuses him of taking the easy way out. But when one of The Strikers dies unexpectedly, Rooster discovers there are as many ways to be a hero as there are ways to mess up.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Canadian Literature, Sports, Canada

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[RF Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rooster, a teenager failing high-school, squeezed by his formidable principal to take a job monitoring a local developmentally-disabled-adult bowling team, stumbles onto lanes of personal maturity and grown-up friendship. Trembath's Rooster Cobb is self-centered, irresponsible, and only going toward wherever wisenheimers roll down to in life. He's also funny, humane, and a credible character and, like the high-school-centered adults who invest exasperated faith in him, the reader can not help liking Rooster as he discovers himself more capable of adulthood than he thought. "Rooster", the novella, goes about the same. It stays wry and resits getting too depressing, but I could not resist its genuineness, humor, and the likability of its story. I have one gripe, there is not enough bowling action, no bowling climax or grand bowling metaphor. But I think cynical, Roosterite young adults, and adult readers who once were disconnected Roosters too, will be charmed.

[Reina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book I read was called rooster by Don Trembath. I didn’t get to finish the story and have no intentions on finishing it. I thought this book would be more interesting but it wasn’t. I think the author dragged out the story. What kept me reading it was to see what this Rooster character had to do to get out of the trouble he was in. You see Rooster, the main character, is in jeopardy of not graduating because he’s been slacking in school. And in order to graduate his English teacher assigned him to help manage a bowling team called the Strikers, which seems to be mentally ill adults. The ending of the book was very predictable, Rooster grows found of the team members and grows a relationship with them and at the end of the book he finds that writing is what he wants to peruse in the future. In the begging of the book his English hinted us that his writing skills were really high, so that wasn’t a surprise. This book made me frustrated because people that have talent in certain areas usually blow it off, like Rooster did his whole life. My favorite character was Rooster step father because he helped Rooster realize if he didn’t do the bowling job, the Rooster would be even a bigger looser that himself. I like the fact that he knew his life wasn’t fantastic and he decided to reach out and give someone else advise, that was nice. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a kick in the butt and can see what doing the right thing could do for not only themselves but also others.

[CJ Trudel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers will see that not everything is easy in life, and hard work should be done when they read Don Trembath's Rooster. Even though Rooster doesn't care about school, one project will get him a high school diploma. The project? Take an old bowling team, The Strikers, bowling. The way The Strikers act throughout the story will hook readers to find out the trouble Rooster got himself into. Trembath uses a lot of comedy when talking about The Strikers and what they do to Rooster. Readers should be ready to see many swears throughout the book as Rooster expresses himself. Many teens could feel a connection with Trembath's Rooster, and is recommended for high school libraries and the public.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about this boy named Rooster whose in High School. Rooster faces many struggles, like with his family, school and girlfriend. And the worse part is, he might not graduate from High School. So the only way that he might be able to graduate is by joining the bowling team in school and teaching them how to bowl.

[Manoila]

it about a guy who have trule with his girl friend ,his mother and in his schooland i want to no more

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an okay book. It's slow moving at first but it quickly moves along. I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys books about teens and reality.

[Nick Savage]

I have read the book Rooster. I think the authors purpose of this book is to entertain the readers. Most of this book takes place in a bowling alley, so that is why I think the author's purpose is to entertain.

The author's theme of this book is that there are as many ways to be hero as there are ways to mess up. Rooster Cobb is a high school student that doesn't care about school and is in trouble with his girlfriend and mother. And the last thing he wants to do is coach a special needs bowling team. But, he recently has a team member die unexpectedly and realizes that he should start trying in life.

I think the style of this book is descriptive. The author focuses on discribing characters and plots in the book Rooster. "The file on Rooster was as thick as any she had in her office"(Trembath Pg. 5). When the author states that Rooster has a "thick file", it means that he has had a rough life. This may also mean he has been into some trouble. Like I stated before, he is in trouble with his mother and girlfriend.

In my opinion, I thought this book was great. It taught me many lessons that I should try in life and school. It also taught me to not take anything or anyone for granted. I would change one thing about this book. It was when the person dies unexpected. It was a turning point in the book that I did not like. But otherwise, I thought it was good. This book did not relate to any other book i have read.