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Bug Boy
It is the summer of 1934, and even at the height of the Great Depression, money is no object for the socialites at posh Saratoga Race Course. The trouble is times are tough for everyone else, especially penniless track workers like fifteenyear- old Jack Walsh. When Jack suddenly graduates from exercise rider to apprentice jockey, or bug boy, he is an overnight sensation. Success brings him all sorts of attention, including that of a brainy blond beauty who is more involved with the gritty underbelly of the track than she lets on and a vicious thug who presses Jack to break his code as a jockey for a payoff that could solve all his family’s problems. Set amid the rough backstretch of Thoroughbred racing, this edge-of-your-saddle read follows the course of a young athlete whose rise to glory in the most popular sport in America is accompanied by ever-increasing pressure to do something that could leave him trampled in the dirt.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2009
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 13, 2009
BUG BOY releases in June 2009. This review is based on an ARC.
This is a book that's going to make teen boys fall in love with historical fiction without ever knowing what hit them. Set in 1934 Saratoga, BUG BOY is about an apprentice jockey who finds himself living the high life when his big opportunity comes knocking. But secrets from his past, pressure from a race course thug, and the attention of a beautiful young woman from the other side of the fence make his life more complicated than he could have imagined. This title is probably best for older middle school and high school students, since the realistic portrayal of rough track life includes some language and sexual situations. Actually, I'm betting that a bunch of adult readers are going to discover and love this book, too - it has incredible crossover appeal, especially for horse racing and history fans.
Fascinating, gritty, and full of tension, BUG BOY is a sure win.
This is a book that's going to make teen boys fall in love with historical fiction without ever knowing what hit them. Set in 1934 Saratoga, BUG BOY is about an apprentice jockey who finds himself living the high life when his big opportunity comes knocking. But secrets from his past, pressure from a race course thug, and the attention of a beautiful young woman from the other side of the fence make his life more complicated than he could have imagined. This title is probably best for older middle school and high school students, since the realistic portrayal of rough track life includes some language and sexual situations. Actually, I'm betting that a bunch of adult readers are going to discover and love this book, too - it has incredible crossover appeal, especially for horse racing and history fans.
Fascinating, gritty, and full of tension, BUG BOY is a sure win.
May 1, 2012
This book packs one heck of a powerful emotional punch. It’s brilliant.
Jack, oh, Jack. My heart broke so badly for him. You get so emotionally invested in his character that when he goes through the difficult periods of the book, you feel it along with him. Jack is not a smart character. He’s not one of your supposedly intellectual main characters that will rip off witty repertoires like it’s nothing, something I find refreshing. It’s done in a very frank way and doesn’t try to prop him up to be anything more than he is.
What he doesn’t have in intelligence he more than makes up for in earnestness, devotion, and a very straight-laced type of outlook, and keeps a very hard work ethic. Jack always wants to do what’s right which sets up for a big moral confliction later in the book between what he believes is morally right and ethical and being loyal – loyal to the person who made him reach the glorious heights in racing that he has today.
But Jack is a soft person who looks after his mother and his siblings by sending them the money he has saved from his winnings so he’s a person who’s easily manipulated. What he really wants and is searching for is love. Jack has experienced neglect, emotional trauma, and rejection throughout all his life and the love he wants lavished on him (he doesn’t seek it out on his own) is the bright spot in his life.
This book takes place during a difficult time in American history – the Great Depression – and it comes vibrantly to life. We see the struggle from everyone on the track who needs money, craves it, in order to make ends meet, and how people with money uses it in nefarious ways to influence the easily molded to their whims.
I think what really got me was this theme of betrayal. You know it’s coming because Jack is just too sweet and good hearted to want to believe the ulterior motives and manipulations of the people closest to him but it strikes home just as hard. I think what hurts more than the betrayal of one that’s close to you is from one that’s supposed to be there for you and on your side no matter what happens. I was about to shed tears for Jack when someone he looked up to could not see past their own lust and greed for fame and money.
I don’t know what to say. This book was just amazing. One of the best fictional horse books I’ve ever read.
Jack, oh, Jack. My heart broke so badly for him. You get so emotionally invested in his character that when he goes through the difficult periods of the book, you feel it along with him. Jack is not a smart character. He’s not one of your supposedly intellectual main characters that will rip off witty repertoires like it’s nothing, something I find refreshing. It’s done in a very frank way and doesn’t try to prop him up to be anything more than he is.
What he doesn’t have in intelligence he more than makes up for in earnestness, devotion, and a very straight-laced type of outlook, and keeps a very hard work ethic. Jack always wants to do what’s right which sets up for a big moral confliction later in the book between what he believes is morally right and ethical and being loyal – loyal to the person who made him reach the glorious heights in racing that he has today.
But Jack is a soft person who looks after his mother and his siblings by sending them the money he has saved from his winnings so he’s a person who’s easily manipulated. What he really wants and is searching for is love. Jack has experienced neglect, emotional trauma, and rejection throughout all his life and the love he wants lavished on him (he doesn’t seek it out on his own) is the bright spot in his life.
This book takes place during a difficult time in American history – the Great Depression – and it comes vibrantly to life. We see the struggle from everyone on the track who needs money, craves it, in order to make ends meet, and how people with money uses it in nefarious ways to influence the easily molded to their whims.
I think what really got me was this theme of betrayal. You know it’s coming because Jack is just too sweet and good hearted to want to believe the ulterior motives and manipulations of the people closest to him but it strikes home just as hard. I think what hurts more than the betrayal of one that’s close to you is from one that’s supposed to be there for you and on your side no matter what happens. I was about to shed tears for Jack when someone he looked up to could not see past their own lust and greed for fame and money.
I don’t know what to say. This book was just amazing. One of the best fictional horse books I’ve ever read.
May 15, 2020
Good read. Interesting horse racing backdrop for the story. Nice easy flow to read.
July 17, 2013
28 April 2009 BUG BOY by Eric Luper, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, August 2009, 256p., ISBN: 978-0-374-31000-4
Instant fame. Boatloads of money. Expensive cars. Hot girls. Designer wardrobes. Underage drinking in exclusive clubs filled with other A-List celebrities. Hangers on. Agents. Groupies. Paparazzi. Binging and purging. Drinking and driving, Shady characters. Shameless extravagance and decadence while millions of your fellow Americans are losing their homes and their jobs.
Is it the 21st century misbehavior of the latest teen movie celeb or teen pop idol?
Nope. It's Jack Walsh, who is suddenly a very hot fifteen-year-old horse race jockey in Saratoga New York in 1934.
"We're in the money, we're in the money
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along"
-- from the 1933 film, "Gold Diggers of 1933"
Jack was once a kid on a family farm in upstate New York. Unfortunately for Jack, his father sent him off to earn money for the family at the age of twelve with an abusive scoundrel named Tweed McGowan who was supposed to be teaching him about horses and racing. Fortunately for Jack, Tweed eventually "traded" him to Pelton Stables, big-time owners and trainers of thoroughbred race horses, for an old saddle and some horseshoes. Jack has been exercising horses and cleaning stalls for Pelton and, being a gifted rider, has caught the attention of his employers. When Pelton's star jockey breaks his neck in a starting gate accident at Saratoga, Jack is given his chance to race and takes full advantage of it.
Jack's fame provides him the opportunity to catch the fancy of and spend his off time with Elizabeth Reed, the rich and beautiful young daughter of a wealthy rival stable owner. Unbeknownst to just about everyone, Elizabeth Reed (I always wondered about the dame after whom my favorite Allman Brothers song was named.) is a bookie. In those days, race spectators would place bets with one of the bookmakers who were either down near the track or roaming through the stands. Being that women were not permitted to wager at the track, nor to serve as bookmakers, Elizabeth, assisted by another young woman, is discretely providing her services to a select female clientele. Not even her father is aware of Elizabeth's business.
BUG BOY takes place just months after the repeal of Prohibition. The U.S. is still mired deep in the Great Depression, and there are Hoovervilles sprouting up everywhere, but Jack, Elizabeth, and their teenage hangers-on are living huge between races. Of course, being a jockey, Jack has to maintain his weight in order to ride. The lavish dinners with Elizabeth mean that what goes down must come back up if the gravy train is going to keep on rolling. And you never know where and when you will run into one of the bad guys who is either demanding a piece of you or wanting you to fix a race.
Filled with riches and fraught with danger, Eric Luper's BUG BOY is an exhilarating ride. Grab on tight to a handful of mane and lean in close for a story that moves at a pace that is guaranteed to leave you breathless.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
Instant fame. Boatloads of money. Expensive cars. Hot girls. Designer wardrobes. Underage drinking in exclusive clubs filled with other A-List celebrities. Hangers on. Agents. Groupies. Paparazzi. Binging and purging. Drinking and driving, Shady characters. Shameless extravagance and decadence while millions of your fellow Americans are losing their homes and their jobs.
Is it the 21st century misbehavior of the latest teen movie celeb or teen pop idol?
Nope. It's Jack Walsh, who is suddenly a very hot fifteen-year-old horse race jockey in Saratoga New York in 1934.
"We're in the money, we're in the money
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along"
-- from the 1933 film, "Gold Diggers of 1933"
Jack was once a kid on a family farm in upstate New York. Unfortunately for Jack, his father sent him off to earn money for the family at the age of twelve with an abusive scoundrel named Tweed McGowan who was supposed to be teaching him about horses and racing. Fortunately for Jack, Tweed eventually "traded" him to Pelton Stables, big-time owners and trainers of thoroughbred race horses, for an old saddle and some horseshoes. Jack has been exercising horses and cleaning stalls for Pelton and, being a gifted rider, has caught the attention of his employers. When Pelton's star jockey breaks his neck in a starting gate accident at Saratoga, Jack is given his chance to race and takes full advantage of it.
Jack's fame provides him the opportunity to catch the fancy of and spend his off time with Elizabeth Reed, the rich and beautiful young daughter of a wealthy rival stable owner. Unbeknownst to just about everyone, Elizabeth Reed (I always wondered about the dame after whom my favorite Allman Brothers song was named.) is a bookie. In those days, race spectators would place bets with one of the bookmakers who were either down near the track or roaming through the stands. Being that women were not permitted to wager at the track, nor to serve as bookmakers, Elizabeth, assisted by another young woman, is discretely providing her services to a select female clientele. Not even her father is aware of Elizabeth's business.
BUG BOY takes place just months after the repeal of Prohibition. The U.S. is still mired deep in the Great Depression, and there are Hoovervilles sprouting up everywhere, but Jack, Elizabeth, and their teenage hangers-on are living huge between races. Of course, being a jockey, Jack has to maintain his weight in order to ride. The lavish dinners with Elizabeth mean that what goes down must come back up if the gravy train is going to keep on rolling. And you never know where and when you will run into one of the bad guys who is either demanding a piece of you or wanting you to fix a race.
Filled with riches and fraught with danger, Eric Luper's BUG BOY is an exhilarating ride. Grab on tight to a handful of mane and lean in close for a story that moves at a pace that is guaranteed to leave you breathless.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
November 16, 2012
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
BUG BOY takes readers deep into the world of horse racing. Eric Luper, author of BIG SLICK, a book that highlights card playing, brings the behind-the-scenes images of horse racing alive.
Jack "Shabby" Walsh says he has loved horse racing since "his diaper hit the saddle." He is now sixteen and has been gone from home for years. His father first set him up with a character named Tweed. From Tweed, Jack learned the ins and outs of the horse racing circuit, but he also learned how evil a human being can get.
When the story starts, Jack has a pretty good thing going with Mr. Hodge and Mr. Pelton. He does everything from working the horses along with trainer Mr. Hodge to mucking out the stalls. The job pays enough to allow him to send money home to his family and to keep him alive. He still dreams of working as a real jockey some day.
Jack's luck changes with the bad luck of a jockey named Showboat. A fatal accident in the starting gate opens up a spot for a new rider. Jack is now officially a bug boy; in other words, a jockey in training. His luck holds when he is able to place in the first two races of his career. Things look fantastic for a quick rise to the top.
Amidst the training and racing activities, Jack connects with Elizabeth. She is horse racing's first female bookie. Even though she is from a world far different than Jack's and she towers over him, she wants him with her constantly and insists on showing him the town with his newfound wealth. Along with her attention, Jack finds himself in the sights of a creep named Jasper who wants to use Jack's inside connections to fix a race.
BUG BOY may start out focusing on a quiet stable boy, but the action ramps up quickly and doesn't slack off as the horses and characters race to the end. Readers who enjoyed BIG SLICK will be equally impressed with Luper's new book, and it is sure to win him many new fans, as well.
BUG BOY takes readers deep into the world of horse racing. Eric Luper, author of BIG SLICK, a book that highlights card playing, brings the behind-the-scenes images of horse racing alive.
Jack "Shabby" Walsh says he has loved horse racing since "his diaper hit the saddle." He is now sixteen and has been gone from home for years. His father first set him up with a character named Tweed. From Tweed, Jack learned the ins and outs of the horse racing circuit, but he also learned how evil a human being can get.
When the story starts, Jack has a pretty good thing going with Mr. Hodge and Mr. Pelton. He does everything from working the horses along with trainer Mr. Hodge to mucking out the stalls. The job pays enough to allow him to send money home to his family and to keep him alive. He still dreams of working as a real jockey some day.
Jack's luck changes with the bad luck of a jockey named Showboat. A fatal accident in the starting gate opens up a spot for a new rider. Jack is now officially a bug boy; in other words, a jockey in training. His luck holds when he is able to place in the first two races of his career. Things look fantastic for a quick rise to the top.
Amidst the training and racing activities, Jack connects with Elizabeth. She is horse racing's first female bookie. Even though she is from a world far different than Jack's and she towers over him, she wants him with her constantly and insists on showing him the town with his newfound wealth. Along with her attention, Jack finds himself in the sights of a creep named Jasper who wants to use Jack's inside connections to fix a race.
BUG BOY may start out focusing on a quiet stable boy, but the action ramps up quickly and doesn't slack off as the horses and characters race to the end. Readers who enjoyed BIG SLICK will be equally impressed with Luper's new book, and it is sure to win him many new fans, as well.
July 20, 2010
Summary:
Jack Walsh wants to become a horse jockey. His father sent him away when he was twelve to work at a stable for race horses because his family needed money during the Depression. At fifteen, Jack’s dreams come true when he becomes a bug boy. He starts racing and making more money than he ever dreamed of making. He continues to send money home to his family, but splurges some on himself and his new girlfriend. His new life as a bug boy also comes with some of the harsh realities of horse racing. He is blackmailed into throwing a race, but is determined to be the best bug boy he can be living by the motto Be. Do. Achieve. Can Jack stand up for himself, his morals, and his respect for the race?
Review:
Eric Luper ‘s writing brings to life a Depression Era coming of age novel. The characters are well developed, the action projects the plot, and the ending is heart-felt and honest. The story is especially appropriate for upper middle school boys ages 11 and up. Girls may find it an appealing read as well. The novel shows the difficult experiences of the working class poor during the Great Depression and the high stakes living of people involved with horse racing.
Jack Walsh wants to become a horse jockey. His father sent him away when he was twelve to work at a stable for race horses because his family needed money during the Depression. At fifteen, Jack’s dreams come true when he becomes a bug boy. He starts racing and making more money than he ever dreamed of making. He continues to send money home to his family, but splurges some on himself and his new girlfriend. His new life as a bug boy also comes with some of the harsh realities of horse racing. He is blackmailed into throwing a race, but is determined to be the best bug boy he can be living by the motto Be. Do. Achieve. Can Jack stand up for himself, his morals, and his respect for the race?
Review:
Eric Luper ‘s writing brings to life a Depression Era coming of age novel. The characters are well developed, the action projects the plot, and the ending is heart-felt and honest. The story is especially appropriate for upper middle school boys ages 11 and up. Girls may find it an appealing read as well. The novel shows the difficult experiences of the working class poor during the Great Depression and the high stakes living of people involved with horse racing.
December 3, 2010
If “Secretariat,” the movie about the legendary Triple Crown winner, has you pawing the dirt for some good reads about horse racing, I’ve got some winners for you. First out of the gate is “Bug Boy” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009), by Eric Luper. Set in the summer of 1934 at the Saratoga Race Course, fifteen year-old Jack Walsh is a stable boy who sends most of what little money he makes back home to his desperately poor family. Jack, who has dreamed of racing horses “since his diaper hit the saddle,” gets his big break when another jockey is fatally injured in an accident in the starting gate. Despite the fact that he’s a little too tall, and a little too heavy (he has to lose ten pounds in two days for his first race—it’s not a pretty sight), Jack is promoted to apprentice jockey, or bug boy. With some early wins under his belt, Jack soon becomes an overnight sensation.
Read the entire review, originally published in the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette on November 28, 2010, at my website: http://www.saralatta.com. Click on my Bookshelf link.
Read the entire review, originally published in the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette on November 28, 2010, at my website: http://www.saralatta.com. Click on my Bookshelf link.
June 4, 2012
This story of a Saratoga 'bug boy' turned jockey set during the 1920s was a wonderful timepiece. The characters were engaging, and a good example of historical fiction done well. I don't know much about horses, but living near Saratoga and having visited a couple of times, this was a fascinating window into not only the time period but also the lifestyle. Great book for high school students - this would engage both male and female readers. The boys will surely identify with the male protagonist trying to do anything to impress his high-society love interest. Plus, it's a short, easy read. The reading level would be okay for middle school, but subject matter is best for high school.
June 22, 2010
Action packed for all horse racing fans. Better read than Homestretch too. Setting: Saratoga Race Track, 1934, during the Great Depression. 15 year old, Jack Walsh, "Bug Boy", is becoming a great jockey with secrets from his past, racing thugs trying to bring him down, a new ritzy girl interest, and more. Great read!! Historical fiction and a great racing read for all Kentuckians (adults and students). MS/HS
November 8, 2010
It was fun to read a book with so much Saratoga history and horse racing information. It was easy to cheer for this protagonist and interesting to see him wrestle with physical stress, metal challenges, and ethical dilemmas throughout the story.
February 12, 2010
Would have liked a little more of the gambling aspect. Too much love story and jockey info.
April 18, 2012
Great book!
August 6, 2010
If you live in Saratoga Springs, this is a great read about racing at Saratoga in the 1930's. Its a good young adult book.
October 29, 2011
Eric Luper does a great job with historical fiction! Read my interview with the author at http://nancycastaldo.blogspot.com/200...
December 17, 2009
I liked this one, historical fiction about Saratoga horse racing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews