Fighter (Cap Central)

Cap Central #1

by Leslie McGill

Jair hated being short. Back in middle school, he d figured he hadn't hit his growth spurt. But now he was a junior at Cap Central. To compensate, he d made sure everyone knew how tough he was. And every so often, he d add to his reputation by punching someone. It had been a while since he had to school someone. But he knew that the new kid would get what was coming to him...Reading 3.5. Interest Young Adult.

140 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Adolfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was really interesting because it was about a kid who would do challenges and basically about his life in high school which was really interesting for me. I also liked how he would fight a lot and get in trouble in school he seemed to like school a lot.

[JGomez 96381 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good mainly because the two main characters you'd least expect to be friends turn out to be. The plot twist was very enjoyable. Most definitely recommend this book to someone who likes short stories.

[Colin Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fighter is set in Washington D.C. at Capital Central High School. It is about two juniors named Jair and Zander. Jair has always gone to Cap Central but Zander just recently moved to D.C. from L.A. Jair's family doesn't have a lot of money and his father is abusive. Zander comes from a military family, his mother is a doctor in Afghanistan and his father is working in the Pentagon. Zander and his family have moved all over and Zander has gone to and gotten kicked out of many schools. Coming from a military family Zander has learned how to fight. Keisha is the prettiest girl in Cap Central and Jair thinks that he has a good chance with her. On Zander's first day of school Keisha helps him find his way around and get accustomed to the new school. Jair sees Keisha walk into class with Zander and is jealous. Jair wants to teach Zander a lesson. The second day that Zander is at Cap Central he is confronted by Jair and his crew. They won't let Zander go through a door but Zander pushes his way through. Jair wants to fight Zander after school. After school Jair confronts Zander again. Zander tries to talk Jair out of fighting but Jair ignores him. Jair continues to throw punches that Zander dodges with ease. When Jair won't stop Zander throws some punches of his own and Jair goes down, Zander stops. Jair was humiliated and it was all caught on a cell phone camera. The fight was uploaded to YouTube and edited to make Jair look even worse. Jair can't stand it. A girl at the school named Janelle stops Jair the next day. She told him that she could get him a gun. Jair now knew how he would get his revenge.
My favorite part of "Fighter" was the fight between Jair and Zander. There was a lot of action that Leslie McGill depicted so vividly. It made you feel like you were there. At this part of the book I kept telling myself, "one more page" but I couldn't put it down. I was very intrigued with their different attitudes during and after the fight. Both during and after the fight Jair was angry. During the fight Zander didn't want to fight Jair but he did when he had to. After the fight when he saw the video he felt empathetic towards Jair.
I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a page turner. There was never any dull moment throughout this entire novel. This is a great book for someone in 6th or 7th grade. Once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down so if your poking for and exciting book look no further. This is book 1 of a series and I am sure that all the rest of the books are just as good. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

[Nancy Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hi-lo reading choice for reluctant readers. A quick read, just 120 pages, it tells the story about a confrontation between two kids at a Washington DC high school. Jair, a bully with something to prove tries to intimidate a new kid Zander, who has befriended the girl Jair likes. When the confrontation leads to a physical fight in which Zander humiliates Jair, Jair seeks revenge. The story is resolved a bit too neatly to be realistic, but all of the characters make choices that can serve as good examples for kids in similar situations.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hi-Lo book that seemed to try a little too hard to be high interest for troubled teens. Not for anyone under High School age and even then not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for swearing, domestic violence, attempted rape, hate speech, and underage drinking. Is there any controversial issue it ignores?

[Sydney Lee Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fighter is a really good book. It has a good message and I think it's a great book for all teens to read. I really liked it!

[Michael Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable urban fiction with a positive message that will appeal to teenage boys who struggle with reading.

[Theron Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. It kept me interested. I think it would be a decent read for my male students that struggle with reading.