Juice

by Eric Walters

When a Division One coach comes to their smaller school to bring the football program up to contender status, Moose and the rest of the players on the team are pumped. Coach Barnes has new ideas and a vision for the future--nothing is too good for his players. With a new training regimen, everything seems to be on a winning track. But when Moose and others are offered steroids, tempers start to fray and the teammates have to decide whose side they are on. Juice is a compelling story about the pressures and temptations that are faced by many in the competitive world of high-school athletics.

Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Teen, Fiction, Ebooks

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Eric was born in Toronto in 1957, which makes him "real old". But, as Eric says, "Just because I have to grow old doesn't mean that I have to grow up!" In his many roles as parent, teacher, social worker, youth sports coach and writer he is in constant contact with children and young adults. He draws from these experiences and feels that this helps him to capture the realistic interaction between young people—the conflicts, tensions, stresses and interests that make up their lives.

Eric began his writing as a teacher. He taught in classes from kindergarten up and his stories often reflect the curriculum that he was teaching. He always read stories—picture books and novels—to his students and this helped him to understand what children liked, responded to, and were inspired by. He enjoys the enthusiasm of his students and often looks at them to provide him with the inspiration to pursue a particular topic in both the classroom and in his writing.

Eric tries to write every day. When he has a story idea he starts with research. This could involve reading books, watching a documentary, or trying to experience the things that his characters are going to go through. This could include rock climbing or riding white water (for Stars), spending time in a wheelchair (Rebound), playing and walking with tigers (Tiger by the Tail), hanging around a tough biker bar (Diamonds in the Rough), standing out in his backyard in a blizzard wearing a T-shirt and shorts (Trapped in Ice), or traveling to Africa (Alexandria of Africa).

"The most important thing anybody ever told me about writing was to write what you know . . . and the only way to get to know things is to do your homework and research before you write," Eric stated.

Once the writing begins the story is always playing around in his head. He takes any opportunity, even if it's just a few minutes between presentations, to put things down, either with pen and paper or on his laptop.

Prior to entering teaching and writing Eric was a social worker (B.S.W., M.S.W., B.A.Hons—specialized major psychology). He worked in a variety of settings including child welfare, private practice, a mental health centre, and, for twenty years on a part-time basis as a Crisis Social Worker in an emergency department. He stopped teaching 4 years ago and left the ER only last year.

The majority of Eric's time is spent in the company of his wife, children and dogs (Lola a big standard poodle and a little white dog named Winnie the Poodle).

Reviews

[Danny]

Personal Response: I really liked this book because in the first chapter it did not start out like every other football book started. In every other book the offense always wins the big game and the main character is always a quarterback. In this book the main character is a defensive linemen where he gets the winning fumble to end the game which I personally liked better then a hail mary for a win. I also liked how they give us a lot of information about the new coach and how he will transform their old school to something new. The only thing that could of made this book a little better would be it being a bigger book.
Plot: The book started out when the defensive linemen ¨The moose" forces a fumble at state to win the game for the team. Then they go to their locker rooms celebrating and the coach tells them all that he's stepping down from being the coach of the football team and how he has a coach who has won four straight title games is going to be their new coach. Then the next day at school Michael also known as ¨The moose" and the rest of the team got called to the weight room and their new coach was introducing himself and saying there will be new equipment, TVś, fridge filled with protein shakes, and all these new things for their next year of football. Then summer hit and Michael went to go lift weights at the school at 8:00 in the morning and he met their athletic coach Tony. A week after Tony told "the moose" that he was putting steroids in the shakes that everyone has been drinking. Tony told him not to tell anybody quite yet until he thought he should. Then Michael came home and his mother started arguing to Michael about how Mike got suspended from his job for the day and his mom started crying and he punched holes in the walls. Michael finally realized to stop taking the steroids and when he went to go lift weights the whole team was there and the police arrested Tony and the new coach. So the old coach came out of retirement to coach them and that´s the end.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to someone who does not like reading the same book over. It was also a really short book so if you need to get a novel in this is a good choice. If you like reading any sport books in general this is the book.

[Hailey Wheaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I think that this book is more of a stereotypically boys book. This personally is more directed for boys because it is mostly about a star football player from his high school. Beyond that fact, it was a pretty good book for a shorter read that still keeps your interest.

Plot Summary: In Juice, the main character, Micheal, is the star of his high school football team. Micheal loves to play football and maintains his grades while being a great son by helping his mother as much as he can. Micheal, who is also known as “Moose” throughout the book, is very excited to meet his new, one-of-a-kind coach who is supposed to be a great coach and promises the team endless possibilities. The coach is actually a really bad influence and “helps” the boys by giving them steroids (“juice”) to take throughout the season. Moose gives in to the coach and agrees on taking it to help make him and the team “better.” This gives him a higher chance of getting into an elite college to help his mother. Eventually, the new coach gets caught and soon the old coach returns to put them back onto the best track before the season ends.

Characterization: At the beginning of the book, Micheal “Moose” starts out as a great athlete with a great attitude trying to help his team out. Moose soon seems to get really cocky and uptight about everything around him while taking the steroids. He doesn't realize how he is behaving until the coach gets fired and the old coach returns. Soon he returns back to his caring and helpful self.

Recommendations:
I would definitely recommend this book to boys or anyone who likes to play or maybe even watch the sport, football. This is definitely more stereotypically a “boy book” that a guy who likes football or plays football would be very interested in. This book would also be beneficial to any athletes who are questioning the “do’s and don'ts” of what to do throughout sports seasons or even throughout high school.

[Maximillian Meyerhofer]

Name: Max Meyerhofer

Book title: Juice



Personal response: I liked reading this book because it was an easy read and pretty short. I also enjoyed it because I play football. Meaning that if someone offered me steroids, I would refuse

Plot summary: The books starts with a new coach and new ideas to start winning. They start winning a lot of there games. However, their players are offered steroids, and they accept them. Then someone else finds out, and the team gets into huge trouble. Then all the players get into trouble for using them. Then people find out the coach said they could, and he got arrested. Then they stopped using the steroids and played a game and still were good.

CharacterizationCharacterization: Coach Barnes who is a big-time guy. Everyone is excited that he is there, but then he offers Moose steroids. That shows that he is a nice guy in the beginning but then ruins peoples health.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to any one of the 8 and up and up. This book is a super easy read and very comprehensible. It could also be read to smaller children.

[Emanuel O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated Juice by Eric Walters five stars because it exceeded my expectations every time I picked it up to read. I struggled to put it down. It was full of suspense and it kept me hooked. The story follows a star high school football player named Michael who’s coach recently retired and was replaced with a new coach that later in the book offers him steroids.Micheal is struck with a dilemma on if he should take the steroids to better his football career or to play it safe and see how his career goes.I discovered this book when it was put in front of me in the library I read the first few pages of the book and the summary on the back and gained interest in it.I would read another book by this author because i like the way he writes all the suspense in the book kept me hooked to the book and it kept me reading.Anyone that has read books about football and likes suspense should definitely check this book out.

[Quinn Dittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name: Quinn Dittmann

Book title: Juice


Personal Response
Personally, I loved this book because it is a football book. The high school in this book reminded me a lot about Weyauwega-Fremont High school. There was a brand new weight room installed just like our new school. Throughout the whole book though, it reminded me a lot of how important it is to be in the weight room.

Plot Summary
This book was about a football team that had just won the state championship. The coach decided to retire and have a new coach for the following season. The new coach had a brand new weight room facility installed. He was pushing the kids very hard. He had all the right ideas to create another championship team that he needed. Only one thing got in his way. He was caught giving some players steroids. He was later arrested and the old coach came back to coach the team.

Recommendation
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the game of football. This book had many very interesting parts in it. It is definitely a good book to read if your school is coming back from not being so good just like our team here at Weyauwega-Fremont.

[Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response
I liked this book it was easy to read. I also liked the story because I like to play basketball and I wouldn't like it if someone offered me steroids.

Plot
This book is about a new coach coming into a program with a bunch of new ideas and the team starts to win. The problems start when some players are offered steroids to make them even better players. The players start to get into trouble because of the steroids. Eventually the new coach is arrested and life goes back to normal without steroids.

Characterization
Coach Barnes is a big shot coach who comes to a little high school with lots of plans. First everyone is excited about his plans but soon people begin to see him for what he is. Moose is a star football player who loves to win. When he is offered the steroids to get even better he takes them. When he starts to have issues because of them he gets into trouble. Finally he stops taking them and he doesn't get into anymore trouble.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to middle to high school athletes. This book shows how to not be pressured into doing things you don't think are right. Some coaches might also read it to see how the pressure to be better affects their players.

[Vashane · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a coach comes to their smaller school to bring the football program up to contender status, Moose and the rest of the players on the team are pumped. Coach Barnes has new ideas and a vision for the future—nothing is too good for his players. With a new training regimen, everything seems to be on a winning track. But when Moose and others are offered steroids, tempers start to fray and the teammates have to decide whose side they are on. Juice is a compelling story about the pressures and temptations that are faced by many in the competitive world of high-school athletics.

[Heather Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was interesting. it was really short but had interesting dear details about high school sports, steroids and pressure to be the best. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes sports.

[Keaton Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moose is the mvp of the first year. The coach for that year announced that he has retired. The new coach comes in and brings so much gear and cool things to the place and one thing that brings things down, steroids.

[Hannah Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It was an interesting story about steroids and sports. I would recommend this book to teens who play sports.

[Anthonyb]

I think the book was very good.

[Noah Williams]

This book is probably one of the best books i have read in a long time. Even though throughout the story there is suspicion of what is going on you never actually know if it is happening till the very end and you also don't know who is behind the whole thing for sure until the end of the book. The entire structure of the book is great with the beginning being a very important game for the team. The middle of the book which is basically just setup for the end is still really good. Throughout the middle things keep coming up that raise a few question for the reader and those questions are what drives the reader like me to keep going because like many i wanted to find out who, what, and why. The ending was also very good and if the story would've been a longer story i feel the ending would've been a bit emotional for some readers because what happens in the end is pretty touching. Well hopefully this review has gave you enough but not to much information for you to make a decision but i highly recommend this book, not to long, not to short and a great storyline.

[Trever Ballard]

The novel Juiced by Eric Walters is an incredible story about a young and talented football player, Michael. Michael grew up in a small town, and attends a small division 2 high school. In the previous year, Michael and his team had won the division 2 championships with lots of graduating seniors, and a coach that he would later find out had retired from his position as coach, and teacher. This stung all the players who would be returning the next year, like Caleb “Squirrel” and Michael “Moose.” They were two of Coach Reeve’s best players on that championship team, as juniors. Michael was the MVP of the team leading all players in sacks on the season, and awarded with the game ball after getting the game winning sack, and fumble recovery to lead his team to the championship. Michael is a big momma’s boy, and did everything he did so that he could make her happy. He didn’t know his father all that well, because his father had left his mother and him at age 9. Once his father left, he followed in his footsteps, and became a big time football player. Once the offseason began for Michael and his team, the new coach, Coach Barnes refurbished all of the old stuff the football program had. This excited all the players, and Coach Barnes hired a strength coach, Tony to help the boys reach their full physical capabilities. Tony worked with the boys a lot, but worked with Michael the most giving him solid vitamin advice, and food supplements that would help him get as big as possible. Michael and the team were all lifting hard, and working to the best of their abilities so that their new coaches dream of competing in a Division 1 school league, and winning it. Coach Barnes had coached at Central his whole career, a D1 school, and had won 4 titles there. So his arrival at the school was a huge one. When all was thought to be going well for Michael, Coach Barnes pulls him into his office to talk to him about the upcoming season, and tells him that he doesn’t believe that the team has a chance unless Michael is willing to talk the next step in strength building. Michael doesn’t agree with what his coach had said, until his coach said it was the only way to help his team out, and Michael was willing to do whatever he could for his team. Tony talks to Michael and gets him started on steroids, and from there things just get worse for Michael. He gets suspended from work for yelling at a customer, which makes his mother disappointed in him, then worst of all lies to his best friend Caleb about his use of steroids, which could have led to their friendships end. When Michael crashes on his couch, and gets a call about a meeting with his team, he freaks out because he has such little time to make it to the school. Once there his old coach, Coach Reeves comes through the door to tell the boys that Coach Barnes and Tony had been arrested for the selling and use of steroids to college, pro and even high school level players. Coach Reeves had to tell the team that they would be interviewed by the police, and if they told the truth about their use of steroids, then no charges would be applied to the young men. This causes Michael to stand up and admit to his use, which causes other on his team to do the same. This moment of honesty shows that Michael is a great kid, and is always trying to do what is best for his team. This causes Coach Reeves to want Michael as his captain even more for the next year. All coaches wish for talented players who are also morally straight, and wanting to do everything they do for the team. I really enjoyed this book, because it talked about student athletes, and what good ones look like. It also leads you to ask the questions, why do so many people think that cheating the system is the only way to achieve their goals? and, "Is being honest and truthful better than being better at whatever it is you do?
Being honest and truthful is always better than being better than the next person and what you do, because it lets people know that you are trustworthy, and that is a trait that people are fonder of than being good at one thing because you lied or cheated to get there. Like in the story when Michael admits to his coach what he had done his coach just says, “Now more than ever. You made a mistake and you probably did it because you wanted to help the team, to lead them to victory” (Walters 100). This takes place after Michael tells his coach what he had done, and instead of being mad, his coach says that he wants him to be the captain of the team more than ever. Another supportive quote from the novel is, “I think they gave it to you because you’re a good, hardworking, polite employee” (Walters 56). This takes place while Michaels is at his job, and is important because it tells us straight up that all the qualities that makes people like you and appreciate you are all based off of being honest.
My favorite passage from the book was at the end of the book when Michael is talking to Coach Reeves about what he had done, and how ashamed he really was of what he had done. He was scared that his coach, whom he so admired, was going to be angry with him and Coach Reeves, says how proud he was of him for being honest. Coach Reeves then says, “I don’t know how we’ll do this season, whether we’ll win it all or lose every single game. What I do know is that no matter what the score is, we’ll walk off the field with our heads held high. We’ll walk away knowing that we played the game fair and square and to the best of our ability. Do you know what that makes us?” I shook my head. “Winners” (Walters 101). This quote is inspirational, and is the definition of what every sport team should play, but very few do. And when you find those who do, they will always be the real winners.

[24Daniel NIEDERERR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Juice by Eric Walters takes place in a smaller high school that had just won their division two championship for football. Then suddenly their coach is wanting to retire after coaching for twenty-seven years. The main character is named Michael but his nickname is Moose, he had been handed the game ball for the championship and was one of the better players on the team. But when the new coach came he was making a lot of changes, the locker room was to be redone, they would play in division one. They didn't know the challenges ahead of them.

[Ryann H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short little book but definitely worth the time.

It was a short book about the dangers of steroids and pressure to be the best. I’m not a fan of football but the story still kept me entertained. Moose was a sweet and impressionable main character that was a great representation of how boys are easily manipulated in the industry.

My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed, but that’s to be expected from a book that’s just barely one hundred pages.

If you are in a reading slump and need something short and simple then this is a good book for you.

[Julien Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an amazing book on how much pressure can cause you to do certain things to reach other people’s standards. Michael felt pressured by his new football coach to excel and win in any way possible. He was being brain washed by his coach to the point where he felt like the only one he can meet his coach’s standards, is by using steroids. Michael realizes that steroids are not only changing the way he looks physically, but even the way he thinks mentally.

[Gabriel Barraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

High school football team that plays against other teams and they are up for the finals getting a new coach to train them up t win but little did the students know that the new coach puts steriods in the shakes they drink to get big and fast to be better than the other team to win.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty good considering the subject matter. Predictably about steroids, but the main character is actually interesting and you can clearly see the progression of the "grooming" by the older adults.

Short book, but interesting and well structured story.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a good book to read because it tells you if you make a mistake in life that you can always fix it and eventually you'll be forgiven and accepted again.

[Jobe Naylor]

great book

[Zachary Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book just some boring parts.

[Beth Wyant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book for reluctant teens that tackles the steroid crisis in high school football programs. Positive and encouraging and will be recommended to my students.

[Alec Walstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alec Walstrom
Mr.Noecker
Hour 5
Book: Juice by Eric Walters
Juice is about a High School football team who wins a division 2 state championship. After winning the Championship they learn that their current coach is retiring and they will be taken over by a new coach who will do anything to win whether it's legal or not. Without bringing this book you will not know some of the history with Athletes and how its gotten so competitive over the years that athletes are willing to take substances that might increase performance, but are dangerous to their health. It could provide knowledge about the culture and how football and other sports are a huge attraction in America today. It also talks about the history with athletes using illegal substances and some of the effects that have happened to them. These substances don't just have physical effects on athletes but can also get them in a bunch of trouble. For instance in my book Jessie MCcarthy a professional football player gets banned from the Nfl for being identified to using Steroids. My book has no scientific value that I can account for. I would not recommend bringing this book along its only value would be the history with steroids in sports which won't be very beneficial when entering a new planet.

[Michael Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read was Juice by Eric Walters, when you first start reading this book in the first chapter the author did a great job of capturing the readers attention. Which I thought was a very great accommodation while I was reading this book. In summary, in the beginning of the book the football team was in the championship also losing, then on the last play their best defenseman "Moose" called a very gutsy audible which was very risky. The audible was that everyone on the defense was blitzing. His play could of gone which of both ways the quarter back could just lob it up to one of his receivers and they score automatically or the defense gets through the line extremely fast and sacks the quarterback and gets a fumble. Your just gonna have to read the book to find out! This book was very captivating and very suspenseful in my opinion. The reason why I thought this book was captivating and suspenseful is because the author always had you thinking what was going to happen next if or when you read this book you will not want to put this book down, when I read it I did not even put this book down that's how good this author wrote this book. In my perspective of this book I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 .

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book jucie is about a couple of high school football players. The choach of the team desied that he well be retiring and that he has tones of amazaing coachs. So these new coach come in on the end of thte season and starts telling some of the guys how much renavitions he will do. He gets a new weight room new equiment and a new locker room. Then he says that there well always protien shakes and sports drinks onn hand so they never have to buy a drink in their carrer. So the main carcter mosse goes to the gym in the summmer to work out and they figuree out that the new coach has gotten a personal tranierl. but he not just any trainer he has a ton of muscle and pimples. he just starts of with easy work outs but he just starts there. but the coach pulls him astied and ask if the tranier has talked to him and mosse says no. So mosse goes into the suz with the trainer and he says you will be doing jucie.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was great. It's a pretty inspirational book you can feel the mood of the story. If your looking for a football book this would be a great book to choose. It is like a life lesson at the sametime. This book is about a kid named moose who is a high school football star. They have just one the championship but there coach decides to leave and a new coach who apparently is one of the best comes to replace the old coach. The new coach makes the team move to divsion 1 so that makes it tougher on the team because they have to verse better teams. This new coach thinks that if he wins the divsion 1 chapionship with a division two team he could have better coaching oppurtunities. He tries to make the team better by making them use steriods but only tears the team apart causing the coach to get kicked out and there old coach returned giving them a lecture of what they mean to him.

[Dilan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juice is about a boy in his school football team who was junior and ended up being the MVP of the last game. He was informed that he was going to be captain for next year's football team. In the summer they got a remade locker room for the football team it had weighs, drinks, a lot of stuff. They were fed steroids and they didn't know. The main character knew they were getting fed steroids but they made him think it was right.

I connect this to real football. In football they probably all use steroids. They think that its the only way to win and be good. In the book they got tricked into taking steroids i don't know if that actually happens in real football.

I gave this book 5 stars. I liked it a lot i don't really remember specifically what i liked about it but i could put the book down.

[Fullerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book is a very good sports book. I haven't read a sports book in a very long time and i think that is a book for a any sports player. I think that this book could have been longer because it is a good story line.
This story is about a football star at his high school named Micheal (a.k.a. the Moose), that has won the Division 2 championship for his team last year. This year they have a new coach of the team and not only that but new equipment for weights and diet. Little do the high schoolers know butthey have been taking steroids for becoming stronger and fast.
I think that this book is a very good football and sport story and I would suggest it to and sports player. I think that is book is to short and can have a better plot. Overall I give this book four out of five stars.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The concept of it was great, it talks about a team of football players who get a new coach and a boy found out that in his "protein" shakes there were sterioeds. I had a good time reading this book because of all the things that were happing so fast and it was all a cause from sterioeds. I think that the coach was a bad coach for putting them in there with out the boys knowing that. They had to find out on their own and that's not right of a coach to do that. I believe that he should of gotten fired, even though he coached a professional football team doesn't give him the right to do that to teenage boys. I think that's the only part about this book I didn't like. Other than that I really did like this book.

[Jannet D · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading 'Juice'.It was a little shorter then I thught it would be.The pages were long but the story was short.I wished the story could have been longer because when i got to about the middle of the book, i just couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next.I new there had to be something strange in their energy drinks, by the way some of the players were becoming stronger so fast.I would recommend this book to people that play sports because in the befor the new coach came, Michael's team won the game, right there that proves that they didn't need ''the juice'' or anything else like that to help them win, but hard work and focused minds on acheiving what they were working hard towards.