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Straight Punch
Tessa McPhail has a bad habit—tagging—that lands her at New Directions, an alternative school in Montreal’s toughest neighborhood. The school is far from Tessa’s home and full of troubled kids. To make matters worse, half of every school day is devoted to boxing. The other students think boxing is cool. Not Tessa, who cannot handle violence of any kind. But when a neighbor starts a petition to have New Directions closed down, Tessa discovers something worth fighting for, both in and out of the ring.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2014
9 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 13, 2022
Monique Polak did an absolutely amazing job with this story. She caught my interest almost instantly with the introduction of the book, which contained the interest/lifestyle of the main character. And from that moment on, I was interested in this story. I have no regrets from reading this book and I would strongly recommend it to everyone who enjoys reading captivating stories.
February 10, 2022
It was a refreshing teen book. I really enjoyed all characters and their stories, the author doesn't make them feel unrealistic or cliche. The scenes of boxing were great too, I liked they way Monique Polak described them. If this book had has 100 pages more I would have totally read them, even a second book.
Thank you for showing that bravery and confidence it's something you can build and improve, that being afraid and feel fear is normal and not a weakness
A solid ⭐⭐⭐✨
Thank you for showing that bravery and confidence it's something you can build and improve, that being afraid and feel fear is normal and not a weakness
A solid ⭐⭐⭐✨
March 19, 2014
I got a copy of this book from the publisher in an exchange for an honest review
Tessa is a tagger. She loves to express herself through art, in the form of spray paint. Sorry if it was your barn, garage, wall… whatever…. Tessa is going to tag it. After being caught twice by the police and issued a fine, she is warned that if it happens again she is going to have to go court and possibly sent to a delinquent center.
So when Tessa is caught “tagging” a teachers house, she is kicked out of her school and forced to go to an alternative school called New direction. Little did Tessa know that New direction focus’s half there day on boxing.
Tessa has a fear of violence streaming for a hockey riot that she is in with her mother. Forced to get over her fear of violence, Tessa learns how to channel this fear and take out all the aggression through boxing.
The rest of the kids that attend New direction all have a story of how they got there. Tessa refuses to make friends with this kids stating she is “not” like them. Little did she know that should would become great friends with them, and also hear the heartbreaking stories of how they all ended up at New Direction.
All and All a pretty decent book. To be honest, it was not my type of book, but I never turn down a book.
A good middle school read.
Tessa is a tagger. She loves to express herself through art, in the form of spray paint. Sorry if it was your barn, garage, wall… whatever…. Tessa is going to tag it. After being caught twice by the police and issued a fine, she is warned that if it happens again she is going to have to go court and possibly sent to a delinquent center.
So when Tessa is caught “tagging” a teachers house, she is kicked out of her school and forced to go to an alternative school called New direction. Little did Tessa know that New direction focus’s half there day on boxing.
Tessa has a fear of violence streaming for a hockey riot that she is in with her mother. Forced to get over her fear of violence, Tessa learns how to channel this fear and take out all the aggression through boxing.
The rest of the kids that attend New direction all have a story of how they got there. Tessa refuses to make friends with this kids stating she is “not” like them. Little did she know that should would become great friends with them, and also hear the heartbreaking stories of how they all ended up at New Direction.
All and All a pretty decent book. To be honest, it was not my type of book, but I never turn down a book.
A good middle school read.
September 22, 2014
A ya novel with a refreshing story line, a solid main character and an interesting bunch of side characters. I liked it a lot!
It's the story of Tessa, who gets send to a sort of reform school in a rough neighborhood in Montreal after getting busted for tagging. Her new school is part school and part boxing lessons - something she fears since she's scared of violence. But she discovers her class mates aren't that bad, that boxing has a lot of pros and that she starts to care so much for her school and new friends that she's willing to fight to keep the school open.
OK, so some of the story lines are a little too neat, like the neighbor lady whose attitude suddenly turned around. But overall, the book had a refreshing realism. It wasn't all tied up into neat little perfect outcomes, there was a lot of bad stuff happening that didn't end well. I liked Tessa as a main character, she seemed true to her age and realistic in her reactions. And the cast of side characters was a good mix of original quirky teens.
I'd love to see a sequel to this book!
(As expected in a non-inspirational ya novel, there was a certain amount of bad language in the book. I've seen far worse. Little sex though, aside from references and a teen pregnancy. And there's some violence with the boxing.)
It's the story of Tessa, who gets send to a sort of reform school in a rough neighborhood in Montreal after getting busted for tagging. Her new school is part school and part boxing lessons - something she fears since she's scared of violence. But she discovers her class mates aren't that bad, that boxing has a lot of pros and that she starts to care so much for her school and new friends that she's willing to fight to keep the school open.
OK, so some of the story lines are a little too neat, like the neighbor lady whose attitude suddenly turned around. But overall, the book had a refreshing realism. It wasn't all tied up into neat little perfect outcomes, there was a lot of bad stuff happening that didn't end well. I liked Tessa as a main character, she seemed true to her age and realistic in her reactions. And the cast of side characters was a good mix of original quirky teens.
I'd love to see a sequel to this book!
(As expected in a non-inspirational ya novel, there was a certain amount of bad language in the book. I've seen far worse. Little sex though, aside from references and a teen pregnancy. And there's some violence with the boxing.)
February 21, 2014
I received this Advance Readers Copy from LibraryThing.
This novel follows the story about a girl named Tessa who gets into trouble with the law and it kicked out of her school. She is then sent to an alternative school, called New Directions, which focuses half of each day on boxing. She ends up becoming friends with people she never thought she would, and she learns how to confront her fear of violence originating from a riot at a hockey game earlier in her life. Boxing helps channel aggression and forces the person to act on their fear.
I enjoyed certain aspects of this novel, especially getting to know the other students at New Directions. These kids have their share of problems, but it was interesting to hear their backgrounds which explains a lot about the people they are today. Most people don't stop and think about what these kids may have lived through, but simply think of these kids as delinquents and lost causes. Many would be surprised to hear that many have heartbreaking stories. This eye opener was my favorite part of this book.
It was a decent book, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was a more in depth story about the relationships and friendships between the students and Tessa, and if we learned more about what landed each student at New Horizons.
This novel follows the story about a girl named Tessa who gets into trouble with the law and it kicked out of her school. She is then sent to an alternative school, called New Directions, which focuses half of each day on boxing. She ends up becoming friends with people she never thought she would, and she learns how to confront her fear of violence originating from a riot at a hockey game earlier in her life. Boxing helps channel aggression and forces the person to act on their fear.
I enjoyed certain aspects of this novel, especially getting to know the other students at New Directions. These kids have their share of problems, but it was interesting to hear their backgrounds which explains a lot about the people they are today. Most people don't stop and think about what these kids may have lived through, but simply think of these kids as delinquents and lost causes. Many would be surprised to hear that many have heartbreaking stories. This eye opener was my favorite part of this book.
It was a decent book, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was a more in depth story about the relationships and friendships between the students and Tessa, and if we learned more about what landed each student at New Horizons.
March 19, 2015
A novel about a girl who gets expelled and has to attend an alternative school for troubled teens. The moral of the story is that appearances and first impressions can be deceiving. Everyone has a history that explains how they’ve ended up where they are. All of the youth at her new school seem intimidating and below her at first, but Tessa comes to see good in all of them.
Tessa is squeamish about all violence in the beginning and has anxiety about boxing being the primary physical education at her new school. The students learn different things in boxing class, depending on what’s going on in their life. Some learn discipline, some learn to channel their aggression, some learn how to stand up for themselves. Art, especially street art is another main component of the story. Expressing themselves through art is important to many teens.
Alcoholism, gambling addiction, bullying, and teen pregnancy are all topics that arise in the novel.
*spoiler alert*
Trigger warning for women who have suffered a miscarriage. There is a descriptive scene that could bring back bad memories.
Tessa is squeamish about all violence in the beginning and has anxiety about boxing being the primary physical education at her new school. The students learn different things in boxing class, depending on what’s going on in their life. Some learn discipline, some learn to channel their aggression, some learn how to stand up for themselves. Art, especially street art is another main component of the story. Expressing themselves through art is important to many teens.
Alcoholism, gambling addiction, bullying, and teen pregnancy are all topics that arise in the novel.
*spoiler alert*
Trigger warning for women who have suffered a miscarriage. There is a descriptive scene that could bring back bad memories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2015
Tessa is a tagger who gets busted and sent to an alternative school called New Horizons, where it’s 50% class time and 50% time dedicated to boxing. Tessa doesn’t want to learn to box because she and her mom were caught in a stampede after a sports game. Ever since that incident, Tessa’s avoided any sort of violence.
However, she quickly learns that boxing is more than just violence - it’s discipline and it helps her to become a stronger person. Even though her controlling boyfriend Cyrus, a photographer, and her mom are worried that Tessa is changing from a mild-mannered teen into a fighter, Tessa is determined to stick it out at New Horizons. She’s even made some friends at the school. And when a neighbor starts a petition to have the school shut down, Tessa and her classmates will fight for what’s right.
This book hits all the right notes for a quick pick. The cover is good - a girl draped in a towel and wrapped hands pre-fight. The chapters are short, there is good use of white space, average type face, and around 250 pages. Also, Tessa’s voice is realistic, it’s easy to follow along, and certain key points - gambling, drugs, pregnancy - will hold a reader’s attention.
However, she quickly learns that boxing is more than just violence - it’s discipline and it helps her to become a stronger person. Even though her controlling boyfriend Cyrus, a photographer, and her mom are worried that Tessa is changing from a mild-mannered teen into a fighter, Tessa is determined to stick it out at New Horizons. She’s even made some friends at the school. And when a neighbor starts a petition to have the school shut down, Tessa and her classmates will fight for what’s right.
This book hits all the right notes for a quick pick. The cover is good - a girl draped in a towel and wrapped hands pre-fight. The chapters are short, there is good use of white space, average type face, and around 250 pages. Also, Tessa’s voice is realistic, it’s easy to follow along, and certain key points - gambling, drugs, pregnancy - will hold a reader’s attention.
February 27, 2015
After Tessa is once again caught tagging graffiti, she is expelled from school and has to start over at New Directions where the curriculum includes a half day of boxing lessons. Even though Tessa is a novice, she quickly learns that boxing can give her the emotional strength she is lacking. Polak's characters are vivid and realisitic and readers will enjoy the who-done-it aspect of the mysterious break-in next door to the school. Fast paced and easy to read, Straight Punch is recommended for teens who like a gritty storyline with a splash of romance and a hit of sports with a never-give-up message.
August 7, 2014
Tessa's habit of tagging gets her in trouble with the law and expelled from high school. She's sent to New Directions, an alternative school that has regular classes in the mornings and boxing training in the afternoon. At first, she's terrified, but she quickly settles in, makes friends with the other students, and comes to enjoy boxing.
I would say this book is pretty predictable; I wasn't surprised by anything in it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. There are a lot of YA novels about football, baseball, etc., but this is the first one I've encountered that features boxing.
I would say this book is pretty predictable; I wasn't surprised by anything in it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. There are a lot of YA novels about football, baseball, etc., but this is the first one I've encountered that features boxing.
October 13, 2015
This was a very interesting book that had a great plot to it and backround. It started out with a girl that got expelled for tagging and hated boxing. Boxing was practically half the day of her new continuation school and she absolutely hated it,she especially hated her coach, Big Ron. that's the basic idea of it, i would totally recommend this book to anyone that likes some violence and thrill. Also i thought the story had a great impact on me because it was the first book ive really enjoyed reading in my life.
December 7, 2017
Tessa Mcphail has a bad habit of tagging gets her kicked out of her school 'Tyndale Academy' and earns her a spot at New Directions Academy or also known as Last Chance Academy. The school is full of kids that were either expelled from their fist school or just kid that don't want to study in a regular school. To make everything worse half of the school day is for teaching the kids to box which is something that Tessa cannot handle with her not being able to handle any kind of violence, even in the movies. That's a brief summary. But this is an awesome book i would recomend it to young adults
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December 8, 2014i liked this book i would recommend it. Although the book gets off to a slow start about Tessa Mcphail life. half way through the book it gets interesting when you learn that Tessa doesn't like fighting But yet she falls in love with the sport. She starts learning about boxing and about a character named pretty boy and his background and she gets offered a scholarship.
Read
November 14, 2016This book was very good its was little weird because it was about a girl im not use to a story being about a female but it was great.The character was a perfect fit for this story i think fighting for what you love and what you want is books that i rather read than other books.
June 26, 2014
A quick read about a girl who faces the demons in her past and prepares for her future at a new school.
March 15, 2015
3.5 stars.
Well-developed and diverse characters. Plot predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. Good coming of age YA novel.
Well-developed and diverse characters. Plot predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. Good coming of age YA novel.
March 24, 2016
I assumed that I would enjoy this book, buy didn't know that it would leave me impressed. it wasn't what I was expecting at all but I'm so glad I picked this up.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews