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Unreachable
They say no student is beyond reach - he's out to prove them wrong. Janice Rosenthal is entering her eighth year of teaching, but it might be her last. Never before has she had a student as unruly and insubordinate as this one. Andrew Bryant is the terror of seventh grade, a student known for driving teachers to the edge of retirement, and he is in her class. How can Janice--and the rest of her students--make it through the school year with such a disruptive force in the classroom? Her only hope is to try to break through the orphan's defenses, to pierce a wall that no other teacher has ever scratched. When she discovers Andrew's secret, two lives will be changed forever.
436 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 30, 2013
This story did something that I haven't had a book do in a long time -- it made me cry.
The characters in "Unreachable" touch your heart because they are so real, so much like the people you know that you can't help but feel for them. There are definitely triggering issues being dealt with by the author, in particular the transgender student who is the bane of the school as well as a scared 12 year old dealing with issues that even adults can't cope with.
I haven't read a book in a long while that made the school setting so real, or the pain of being a child so plainly stated. It takes someone very brave and very talented to lay out just how horrible it can be to be a 12 year old who doesn't fit in.
It is a long book, but well worth every moment.
The characters in "Unreachable" touch your heart because they are so real, so much like the people you know that you can't help but feel for them. There are definitely triggering issues being dealt with by the author, in particular the transgender student who is the bane of the school as well as a scared 12 year old dealing with issues that even adults can't cope with.
I haven't read a book in a long while that made the school setting so real, or the pain of being a child so plainly stated. It takes someone very brave and very talented to lay out just how horrible it can be to be a 12 year old who doesn't fit in.
It is a long book, but well worth every moment.
November 6, 2013
Katie Leone writes with so much emotion that you can hear the characters voices in your head as you are reading what they are saying.. the characters become so lifelike and are so hard to part with, leaving you with the feeling how do i possibly pick another book.
I must say I was thrilled to find out there is a part 2 coming out..as i wanted more so bad of these characters.
Emotional raw and riveting!
The story is about a teacher who fears the worst student possible to be placed in her class. She starts with ill harbored feelings to him before she knew him. Andrew being Andrew figured that all out and was not happy.
This story shows us the workings of a teacher student relationship like no other, and how a broken down scared little boy can change the reasons and logic that we knew to be our own.
Yes a student can teach a teacher, just like a child can a parent.
Andrew had a tough life a very rough life, and he stayed true to his inner-core through it all.. sometimes having a tough exterior really is for ourselves and Andrew shows us that.
To the workings of how orphans live and how sad and scary some foster parents are, this may be not be life in the book, but sad to say it is really how real life can be. Katie Leone always portrays how it will is in the world.
This book will teach you and make you feel that staying true your self and being open minded to people coming into your life of any age, can truly change you inside!
Andrew is a work of art in progress and he let his little shine!
I look forward to part 2!
I must say I was thrilled to find out there is a part 2 coming out..as i wanted more so bad of these characters.
Emotional raw and riveting!
The story is about a teacher who fears the worst student possible to be placed in her class. She starts with ill harbored feelings to him before she knew him. Andrew being Andrew figured that all out and was not happy.
This story shows us the workings of a teacher student relationship like no other, and how a broken down scared little boy can change the reasons and logic that we knew to be our own.
Yes a student can teach a teacher, just like a child can a parent.
Andrew had a tough life a very rough life, and he stayed true to his inner-core through it all.. sometimes having a tough exterior really is for ourselves and Andrew shows us that.
To the workings of how orphans live and how sad and scary some foster parents are, this may be not be life in the book, but sad to say it is really how real life can be. Katie Leone always portrays how it will is in the world.
This book will teach you and make you feel that staying true your self and being open minded to people coming into your life of any age, can truly change you inside!
Andrew is a work of art in progress and he let his little shine!
I look forward to part 2!
March 27, 2022
I started out thoroughly enjoying this book as it seemed like a memoir rather than a fiction story. I was going along the lines of 5 stars until I found very many references to Andrew as "the kid". This bothered me because he was referred to as "the kid" in the mind of the teacher who was desperate to help Andrew. Not giving "the kid" any other identity seemed more like a putdown. I was now down to 4 stars which I was comfortable with.
However I reached the ending and it seemed rushed. We are first reading about a confrontation with Mrs. Caldwell and then all of a sudden everything is tied up with a bow. Janice is being congratulated by her colleagues and then she and Andrew/Desiree return home. The end. It just felt like something was missing after the meeting with Mrs. Caldwell.
However I reached the ending and it seemed rushed. We are first reading about a confrontation with Mrs. Caldwell and then all of a sudden everything is tied up with a bow. Janice is being congratulated by her colleagues and then she and Andrew/Desiree return home. The end. It just felt like something was missing after the meeting with Mrs. Caldwell.
March 7, 2014
Andrew is impossible, a troublemaker with a short fuse, and teacher Janice is about to have him in her middle school classroom. At first she sees the worst in him and throws in the towel, sending him to the principal's office rather than cope with his anger. The principal sits her down and tells her Andrew was placed with her for a reason, and for that to work she must apply her special talents and not avoid him. A perceptive person she starts to notice characteristics of the student no one else has detected. First she realizes that his behavior is entirely reactive and judged unfairly by past adults. She notices his artistic side, sees his compassion, and starts to learn about the horrendous loss in his life. Ultimately she begins to see that there is something more fundamental underlying his differences.
One thing this book did for me was wonder how often kids with diagnoses of "oppositional defiance" are really just transgender kids. That is the case with Andrew. He, or rather, she knows a truth about herself that no one else, except her late mother, ever accepted. She knows she is different but in a way she cannot communicate. She sees the unfairness in how adults treat her thanks to this lack of understanding.
And oh what a villain in this book, the self-proclaimed "Pastor" Nan, the manager of a "last stop" foster home for boys whose hypocrisy knows no bounds and who is permitted by social services to interfere for profit with her charges' chances of a better life. Andrew's secrets had to be pushed down as far as they could to survive this wretched harpy.
The novel is in first person which presented a problem in the narrative to my eyes. Janice seems quite self-absorbed at times, acting on her rather than Andrew's behalf, even sometimes defying her own common sense with how she deals with the student. Fortunately she gets past this unwise response fairly early in the story, but I still felt too much of her actions came from her own self-absorption. It just happens that Andrew's interests are served by Janice's motivation.
This is a good and entertaining story but expect to experience the pain Andrew does. It is a horror story that is all too realistic. Leone's writing style could use smoothing by a professional editor, but at least in this novel it is clear her heart is in the storytelling.
That's All I Read, http://kitmossreviews.blogspot.com
GLBT Bookshelf, http://glbtbookshelf.com
One thing this book did for me was wonder how often kids with diagnoses of "oppositional defiance" are really just transgender kids. That is the case with Andrew. He, or rather, she knows a truth about herself that no one else, except her late mother, ever accepted. She knows she is different but in a way she cannot communicate. She sees the unfairness in how adults treat her thanks to this lack of understanding.
And oh what a villain in this book, the self-proclaimed "Pastor" Nan, the manager of a "last stop" foster home for boys whose hypocrisy knows no bounds and who is permitted by social services to interfere for profit with her charges' chances of a better life. Andrew's secrets had to be pushed down as far as they could to survive this wretched harpy.
The novel is in first person which presented a problem in the narrative to my eyes. Janice seems quite self-absorbed at times, acting on her rather than Andrew's behalf, even sometimes defying her own common sense with how she deals with the student. Fortunately she gets past this unwise response fairly early in the story, but I still felt too much of her actions came from her own self-absorption. It just happens that Andrew's interests are served by Janice's motivation.
This is a good and entertaining story but expect to experience the pain Andrew does. It is a horror story that is all too realistic. Leone's writing style could use smoothing by a professional editor, but at least in this novel it is clear her heart is in the storytelling.
That's All I Read, http://kitmossreviews.blogspot.com
GLBT Bookshelf, http://glbtbookshelf.com
March 8, 2016
Bookbub brings me some interesting things. I’m not sure I would have found this otherwise, though I am glad I did.
Unreachable is told from the adult’s POV, and this is a story of Janice Rosenthal’s growing up as much as it is about her student. Even after eight years of teaching, or maybe because of them, Janice starts out making some assumptions about one of her students and how things will work out with Andrew in the class.
Andrew has the reputation of being difficult, unreachable, someone to teach around and hope for minimum disruption for the rest of the class. It turns out that each infraction has something legitimate and redeeming behind it, and their encounters force Janice to reevaluate herself and her assumptions.
The intertwining of student and teacher’s growth is mostly lovely, although I think Janice should have been a little less emphatic in her assumptions, because frankly declaring that someone is trans* is a darned big leap, and isn’t it the person’s choice to say or not? But forgive it (a little) for the sake of speeding the narrative.
Speeding the narrative is a good idea—while the story could stand to shed about 15k words, it is a powerful story shot with hope and eventually with love, and it needed to be told. Andrew starts as a kid with every hand raised against them, and while the arc is not yet done, this book ends with the acceptance of true self and an adult’s love and protection.
The novel is occasionally difficult reading, detailing the challenges of teaching in a poor, urban environment. The portrayal of the foster system is bleak and probably accurate for all its horror, a system trying to make do with inadequate resources and some really hideous people.
There’s a second novel following on from where this leaves off, and while I’m not up for an immediate second serving of this author’s style, I plan to read it.
Unreachable is told from the adult’s POV, and this is a story of Janice Rosenthal’s growing up as much as it is about her student. Even after eight years of teaching, or maybe because of them, Janice starts out making some assumptions about one of her students and how things will work out with Andrew in the class.
Andrew has the reputation of being difficult, unreachable, someone to teach around and hope for minimum disruption for the rest of the class. It turns out that each infraction has something legitimate and redeeming behind it, and their encounters force Janice to reevaluate herself and her assumptions.
The intertwining of student and teacher’s growth is mostly lovely, although I think Janice should have been a little less emphatic in her assumptions, because frankly declaring that someone is trans* is a darned big leap, and isn’t it the person’s choice to say or not? But forgive it (a little) for the sake of speeding the narrative.
Speeding the narrative is a good idea—while the story could stand to shed about 15k words, it is a powerful story shot with hope and eventually with love, and it needed to be told. Andrew starts as a kid with every hand raised against them, and while the arc is not yet done, this book ends with the acceptance of true self and an adult’s love and protection.
The novel is occasionally difficult reading, detailing the challenges of teaching in a poor, urban environment. The portrayal of the foster system is bleak and probably accurate for all its horror, a system trying to make do with inadequate resources and some really hideous people.
There’s a second novel following on from where this leaves off, and while I’m not up for an immediate second serving of this author’s style, I plan to read it.
October 10, 2015
There were moments that were difficult, but it was a story that I loved and can't wait to see what happens next to Desiree.
July 6, 2017
A slow, often times intentional look at connecting with someone. While this novel has several flaws (mainly in pacing and characterizations/plausibility), it also has a lot of heart. It wants to demonstrate that what's on the surface can hide any number of things. I think this is an important book that only falters because it cares so deeply about its message. The main characters are somehow both too perfect and too flawed. There is an unevenness about them that surely stems from wishful thinking. But only the best kind. This is a book with a dream for how we should accept each other and help those who need it.
September 8, 2024
It was a wonderful experience to read made me cry and and brought me joy. Can’t wait to read the second book
January 25, 2015
Technicalities dragged this down
I greatly appreciate that this story is about a trans child. Overall, I think the story is good.
However, I was extraordinarily frustrated and annoyed while reading it. There are grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text. Angry irony was sparked repeatedly when the author would comment about the state of the school system, or about young people's reading and writing skills, and yet, the text itself was riddled with errors.
I was also disappointed with the story structure. There was entirely too much build up in the beginning with too much insignificant detail, making the story drag, entirely too many repeated details that did not add to the story, creating more drag, and then a quick ending that lacked detail.
Other irksome notes: Les Miserables was used as a parallel plot device, and Cosette's name was misspelled. If the protagonist has a degree in psychology, she ought to be a lot smarter about human behavior than she was written as. Being scared walking down the hall was ok once, but was repeated too much for no good reason.
It's a good story that could be improved with editing.
I greatly appreciate that this story is about a trans child. Overall, I think the story is good.
However, I was extraordinarily frustrated and annoyed while reading it. There are grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text. Angry irony was sparked repeatedly when the author would comment about the state of the school system, or about young people's reading and writing skills, and yet, the text itself was riddled with errors.
I was also disappointed with the story structure. There was entirely too much build up in the beginning with too much insignificant detail, making the story drag, entirely too many repeated details that did not add to the story, creating more drag, and then a quick ending that lacked detail.
Other irksome notes: Les Miserables was used as a parallel plot device, and Cosette's name was misspelled. If the protagonist has a degree in psychology, she ought to be a lot smarter about human behavior than she was written as. Being scared walking down the hall was ok once, but was repeated too much for no good reason.
It's a good story that could be improved with editing.
August 10, 2015
I really loved this book. It is touching and described realistic transgender issues instead of the sensationalism many try to portray it as. Although, the story is not really about a transgender character, rather a troubled pre-teen and a young teacher in NYC settling into a profession and struggling to reach the unreachable terror of a student at her inner city school. Not a very challenging book in terms of prose, but there are some grammatical issues. Would have rather seen a different narration approach, perhaps a split 1st person narration between the teacher and the student. Still a priceless story, one that I gladly recommend. Ended abruptly, but perhaps appropriately without getting sappy.
February 26, 2016
This was such an excellent book. It seemed there was a mystery every 2 pages. There never seemed to be a good place to stop. Reading it during my break, I didn't want to put it down and I kept having to go back to work. There was something haunting about the way this story is written; the characters just stay in your thoughts. At times I was a bit weary of the racing thoughts of the teacher but then I had to laugh at myself with my very similar obsessive thinking. It was getting so suspenseful, I had to bring it home to finish it. The story ended so suddenly that it continued to haunt me. I am pleased to see there are more books to follow.
July 10, 2014
As a retired teacher, I found her portrayal of the teacher unrealistic. She was way too confident of her abilities to engage children and keep lessons interesting. I found her intense interest in one child making me wonder about her neglect of the rest of the class.
June 28, 2015
I read the sequel to this book 1st. This author is hard to put down.
August 3, 2015
Too predictable and exaggerated in the beginning.
October 22, 2015
The book was a good story. It was however so full of gender stereotyping that every teacher would avoid it wasn't easy to read. I will not be reading the sequels.
April 30, 2016
This is an important book, but the writing didn't engage me like it should have. I did learn a lot by reading it and cheered for Andrew and Janice.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews