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Loser Fooser
After a humiliating school field trip, fifteen-year-old Barry Egeland is on a quest to become popular. Luckily for him, he doesn't have to slay a dragon. He only needs to win his school's foosball tournament, with help from his hot-headed best friend. This proves easier said than done when two weeks before the tournament, Barry catches the eye of two his former childhood friend Lily Keaton, and the hair-flipping cheerleader, Sarah Darlington. If navigating that hormone nightmare wasn't bad enough, his foosball nemesis Orion Brockman III has decided he wants Barry out of the running. And Brockman will stop at nothing to get what he wants. As Barry's life gets kicked around by friends, enemies, love interests, and even teachers, will he complete his quest and win it all? More importantly, will he even make it to the tournament? Loser Fooser is a fun, smart debut novel for teenagers and up. Current students will see themselves or their friends in the characters. Older readers will be transported back in time. Prevalent themes not fitting in, anxiety, the boundaries of friendship, dealing with intellectual bullies, and finding one's own voice. And there might be a ghost. Despite the foosball angle, no previous knowledge of the game is required to enjoy this book. Just NO SPINNING THE RODS.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2018
5 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 27, 2019
I don't read a lot of books in this kind of YA/coming of age genre but was intrigued by the foosball element as that seemed like such an unlikely hook to base a story on. Glad I took a chance! This was one of the funniest and most charming books I've read in a long time. The narrator/hero is a sweetly sarcastic teenage boy who feels ignored in high school until he decides to compete in a foosball tournament that has a long tradition at his school in the hopes that winning it will finally get him some recognition (and, yes, a certain amount of mayhem ensues!) Along the way, the author upends a lot of the cliches of this genre and seems to delight in thwarting his readers' expectations. A blonde cheerleader and a goth girl are introduced and you think you know where that's all going, but the author makes a point of acknowledging, as one of his characters notes, that life is rarely black and white, but rather all shades of gray. Hard to believe this is the author's debut novel. It reads like he's been publishing books for years, and I can already see the movie version of this in my head. Be sure and read on through the acknowledgments at the end of the book for a last wink from the author. Highly recommend!
September 3, 2019
I bought this book because the main character seemed pretty funny in the preview. I wasn't disappointed. I laughed out loud numerous times while reading the novel, especially at the beginning.
The author does a good job of adding new characters throughout the story and held my interest until the end.
If you like humorous books with high school characters I highly recommend Loser Fooser.
* Minor spoilers ahead*
I liked the evolution of the main character as for me he went from likeable to somewhat unlikeable, but he grew as a person and I was cheering for him by the end.
I was very happy with the ending of the book as it was not predictable and tied certain aspects of the novel together nicely.
The author does a good job of adding new characters throughout the story and held my interest until the end.
If you like humorous books with high school characters I highly recommend Loser Fooser.
* Minor spoilers ahead*
I liked the evolution of the main character as for me he went from likeable to somewhat unlikeable, but he grew as a person and I was cheering for him by the end.
I was very happy with the ending of the book as it was not predictable and tied certain aspects of the novel together nicely.
August 31, 2019
Looser Fooser was such a FUN read! I loved the main character Barry, and the awkward situations he continually found himself in. Barry's love interest Sarah was my favorite character -- I loved her and her entire family. Sarah's mom is a badass and handled all of her daughters, and Barry, very well. Barry's parents and his friends were all great supporting characters too.
Barry's journey is a long one, but Thomas Czarniak has a real knack for engaging prose that makes you WANT to keep reading! He does an excellent job of fleshing out each of his characters, even the unlikable bad guys. This is a light, fun story, and you instantly feel for Barry and want cheer him on in his quest. You want to see him get what he wants, despite all of the many obstacles he faces along the way.
But in the end, is what Barry wants the same thing as what he needs?
You have to keep reading until the last chapter to find out. :)
I highly recommend this fun book. It has just the right mix of drama and humor, and I greatly enjoyed the entire journey. I'm looking very forward to Thomas Czarniak's next book!
Barry's journey is a long one, but Thomas Czarniak has a real knack for engaging prose that makes you WANT to keep reading! He does an excellent job of fleshing out each of his characters, even the unlikable bad guys. This is a light, fun story, and you instantly feel for Barry and want cheer him on in his quest. You want to see him get what he wants, despite all of the many obstacles he faces along the way.
But in the end, is what Barry wants the same thing as what he needs?
You have to keep reading until the last chapter to find out. :)
I highly recommend this fun book. It has just the right mix of drama and humor, and I greatly enjoyed the entire journey. I'm looking very forward to Thomas Czarniak's next book!
July 21, 2019
Did anyone really like high school?
This book was an outstanding story about a cast of characters we already knew, no matter where we grew up. I found it amazing that the author took me, a sixty+ old woman back to high school from the moment I started reading. It was as real to me as it could get. I was totally invested in the relationships and the eventual outcome of the tournament. Kudos, champagne, future success; all of these at once. In case you can't tell, I recommend this book highly.
This book was an outstanding story about a cast of characters we already knew, no matter where we grew up. I found it amazing that the author took me, a sixty+ old woman back to high school from the moment I started reading. It was as real to me as it could get. I was totally invested in the relationships and the eventual outcome of the tournament. Kudos, champagne, future success; all of these at once. In case you can't tell, I recommend this book highly.
October 22, 2018
One of the best books I have read
This book had me glued. It was fresh, authentic, and the most fun I've had in a long time. The book gave life to the characters while living the teenage years. I could see my friends, family, and myself in the subjects. I'll be reading it again and again!
This book had me glued. It was fresh, authentic, and the most fun I've had in a long time. The book gave life to the characters while living the teenage years. I could see my friends, family, and myself in the subjects. I'll be reading it again and again!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews