Breaking Point

Bluford High #16

by Karyn Langhorne Folan, Paul Langan (Editor)

Vicky Fallon can't take it. Her father has lost his job. Her parents are constantly fighting, and her troubled little brother is out of control. Once an honor student, Vicky is quickly falling behind in her classes at Bluford High. Now her teachers, friends, and new boyfriend, Martin Luna, want answers. Pressured from all sides, Vicky knows something is about to snap. But the explosion that hits her home is worse than anything she could imagine.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, School, Urban, Childrens, Family

150 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2010

About the author

Karyn Langhorne Folan graduated from Harvard Law School and after practicing and teaching law for several years, decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She is the author of twenty-one books and counting, including three young adult titles for the popular Bluford High series, four romance novels, several works of nonfiction. She has also been the ghostwriter for personalities in the entertainment and music industries. She is married and has two daughters.

Reviews

[Javier G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal response
I enjoyed the book because I could relate to some of the events that were happening in the book. What I did not like about the book was how in the end they lost their house, their dad walked out on them, and then they ended up living in an apartment. The book was just a cliffhanger at the end, and I don't know if there is a second book.


Plot
The events in the book is in the beginning Vicky and her best friend are arguing about her friend’s,Teresa’s, Quinceanera. Vickey is short on money and can't afford the dress. She is told to come straight home after school to help her grandfather move in her house but decides to help Martin with his hearing. Her dad is trying to help with the money problem by taking objects from the house and selling them to make money. Then Vicky's dad bets the money on sports but ends up losing it all and him leaving the family.


Recommendation
I recommend this book to people in middle school and up, because it is an easy read and a short story. Males and females should read this book. I also recomend this book for hispanic people because it has some Spanish words, and it talks about a hispanic culture called a Quincenera.

[BRANDON SCHEER]

I thought this book was a decent book. It was meant for a younger audience than a freshman. It doesn’t use any large vocabulary. It also did not have many words on a page.

This book was about a girl named Vicky. Her best friend was named Teresa. They had been best friends since kindergarten. Vicky was dating a boy named Martin Luna, who was going through hard times. He almost got expelled because he got into a fight and accidentally hit a teacher. When they were at the hearing that decided whether or not he got expelled, Vicky showed up to show support for him. Martin ended up not getting expelled. During this problem that Martin went through, Vicky had problems of her own. Her family was $20,000 in debt. Her dad had lost his job a while back and tried to gamble over sports games to win money back. He even stole things from the house to sell so he could gamble more. This gambling only added to their debt. The bank was to take the house from them and the father knew about it. He never told anyone about it though so when the bank came to take their house everyone was surprised. They only had 24 hours to take all of their belongings to a different house. They rented an apartment near Vicky’s boyfriend’s house. The dad left them because it was all his fault and he felt as though he should be out of their lives.

I would recommend this book to young female teenagers because it is about the life of a teenage girl that is going through hard times. It can help some people realize what they have compared to others.

[Matthew Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a good emotional book called breaking point. Vicky has been losing friends, parents fighting alot. And she can't handle her father lost his job which really doesn't help the house. And the story is said so real. Like the story can be based off real events.

[Diamnique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diamnique Hierrezuleo
February 2012
Breaking point
Langan, Paul

The topic of this story is that if you try nothing can ever go wrong. Always put your mind to everything that you do. Another one is that you fight for what you believe in because that is what really matters in life. Next is never to believe in what people say you find out for yourself. That is the topic of the story.
I am going to give you three main points but right now i am going to give you this one. One of the main topics was Jamee she failed her quiz and at the end of the class the teacher said that she needed to study for the test. Jamee said she had cheer leading tryouts and she could not make it but she could ask her sister to help her so she can pass the test. Things went wrong because her parents did not sign her test and she lied and told the teacher she did. I feel really sorry for her.

Another one is that at her aunts house she don’t like her aunt. She don’t like her aunt because she always is trying to put her mother down and that is not cool. Jamee went and she knew that it was not going to be a good day because her mom was pregnant and her aunt said she never wanted her sister and her family back at her house. That really hurt ed her mom because she kept getting her feelings hurt when her aunt disrespected her mom. that is the second way.

One last way is I am going to tell you. One reason is that jamee got teased in school because someone sent a picture of her and a girl hugging when the way changing in there gym clothes to the whole school. That made there reputation really bad. If I was her I would of confronted the person who was the one who sent the pictures. In most of the books i read they go threw the same situation.

I knew a lot about this book before i read it. I noticed that the books i read before are almost half the same. I read the back of each book and they all go threw the same thing with there parents. It is either the father went away of the kids ran away. Lastly they always have a problem with there boyfriend or girlfriend.

I am going to give you things i learned from this book. One thing I learned from this book is never believe someone if they was never your friend. Give people a chance. Think for yourself. People change but you don’t have to be quick to forgive them

An interesting thing that I learned was.... I am going to give you the main one. This one is people change but you don’t have to be quick to forgive them. I say this because I go threw that all of the time. That is why I picked this.

I think the authors purpose of this book is that you can always change your life around. Also that don’t be to quick to judge. That is what I think. I can be very wrong. Things happen for a reason. That is it.

I am a lot like Jamee. I say that because we get picked on a lot. Also because we feel like our parents don’t want to care about us and our feelings. I also think because we have boy troubles. That is what I think.

This book did a GREAT job. I say that because now I know how to handle things. I think it would help me in life. Now i know how to talk to my parents.

THE END!!!!

[Peter Nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Breaking Point" was a book about a girl named Vicky she has a lot going on, in her life. It is mostly bad and nothing seems to be going her way. Her parents fight almost every night, her dad lost his job, and her grandma died. Therefor she had to give up her room so her grandpa could stay with them. Due to all of these things going on in her life she was less focused on her schoolwork and she is failing almost all of her classes. She once was a straight "A" student and her family all go along. It all changed when the money stopped coming in. Her dad started to gamble the few bucks they had left and with no luck he lost it all. He started selling his own family's objects like toys and jewelry. He didn't get enough money from doing that so he leaves. He leaves his whole family to deal with the debt. The family was so shocked they didn't even know where to begin. The house is taken by the bank and they all watch as their belongings are taken from the house and thrown onto the front lawn. The grandpa has some money for an apartment to live in, which is right next to Vicky's boyfriend’s house. They never heard from their dad again.

Vicky is a smart girl but she is going through a lot in her life with school, and her home life is a wreck, and also friends. She is normally a straight "A" student who goes by the rules and minds her own business. With her family being how it is school is not the biggest priority anymore, so she starts to fail almost all of her classes. She cannot concentration on the school work anymore and she zones out or talks to her friends or Martin during class. Martin is Vicky’s crush and they are almost dating but without the label. The teachers do not know what is going on in her life, they have no idea what is going on with her. Vicky is really nice to everyone but she gets jealous very easy. She is a very smart kid though, when she does not have as many distractions.

The setting could be a lot different if it would have taken place in a different area like a bigger city. If it was in a bigger city the husband probably would have found a job much easier. The setting could have also been different if the time was way back in the day. When there wasn't a rescission and money wasn't so tight or jobs where not so hard to find. The setting can affect any book dramatically, this book is no different.

I would recommend this book to a high school girls or any I know that is having similar issues in their life. I would recommend this book to someone who has some of the same issues, so they can relate. They also need to know that they are not alone, that someone is always there to help them. I do not think that middle school kids should read this book because of the issues with the family. I feel like they are too young to worry about those kind of problems, and they are not mature enough to understand them fully. I did enjoy this book even though I don't have issues like Vicky did, but I still like to learn about all different kinds of problems.That way I am not so closed minded to certain things or people. Overall, I think this is a good book and I really like the author and how he writes.

[Kamryn]

I just finished reading Breaking Point by Karyn Langhorne Folan. This book was about a girl named Vicky Fallon. She is going through a lot right now. Her dad just lost his job and her parents fight almost everyday. Also her grandma died so her grandpa came to live with them, so that means she has to give up her room to her grandpa. She is also doing badly in school. She was once an honor student and now she’s failing almost all her classes. She is having boy problems too. She broke up with her ex boyfriend Steve because he’s a bully but he still has feelings for her. She no longer likes Steve and has moved on to a new boy named Martin. There’s a lot of drama between Steve and Martin because of it. And on top of that she lost her best friend Teresa and there house is being evicted. She’s just going through a lot.

In my opinion I think Vicky should forget about the all the boy problems and focus on school work and her family issues. I think it’s sad that she has to deal with all the drama in her life but sometimes stuff happens and you need to keep your head up until you get though it. If she focused more on her family her life might even be a little bit better, she won’t have to put up with Martin and Steve’s drama and she could actually focus on her own. That’s what I would do if I were Vicky. Life isn’t always about being popular and having friends/boyfriends, because at the end of the day family is more important.

[Louis Knecht · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought that the book “Breaking Point” was not that good of a book. I didn’t like it because it was a long story that was not exciting to me in anyway. Overall, I thought it was a boring book.

In the plot a lot of events happened. The main character Vicky had a bad life. Her dad lost his job and could not pay any of the bills. She had a good mom who did what she could with the money she made from being a nurse. She also had a brother named Danny. Her grandpa lived with her because he was very old and needed help. Vicky had a boyfriend named Martin Luna who got in a lot of trouble. Vicky's best friend, Teresa, did not like Martin at all. Vicky and Teresa got into a lot of fights about Martin, but eventually Teresa understood that Martin and Vicky truly liked each other so she understood. Towards the end of the book their dad left them because he could not afford any of their bills and gambled away the money they did have. Their house got foreclosed and they had to move. Luckily, Vicky's Grandpa had been saving money to send Vicky and Danny to college, so they had enough money to rent an apartment. Vicky and her family will never be the same.

I would recommend this book to 13-16 year old kids male or female who like to relate to people’s problems. I would recommend it to them, because the main character in this book has a lot of problems.

[Brandon Hutchins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recomend this book to others because it is a book filled with a lot of emotion and excitment. In the book 'Breaking Point' a kid named Martin gets into trouble and has to go before the super intendent and tell him why he thinks he should be able to still atend Bluford High School.I think that this would be a scary situation because if Martin gets kicked out of high school he could easily become a drop out and ruin his life. Another emotional part is at the beginning of the book when Martin tells his story about his little brother got killed in a drive by shooting and how he was there and he held his little brother in his arms until he died. If you like books that are filled with emotion,excitment,and adventure then this would be a perfect book for you.

[Tami DiFulvio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finished with Breaking Point: Breaking Point from the Bluford High Series is about a girl named Vicky who lives with her mom dad and brother. Her grandfather isnt doing so well so he moves in with there family. Vickys parents argue alot and are struggling with paying the bills for their home. As the story foes on her family is falling apart and they lose there home. At school Vicky goes through problems with her bestfriend and her troubled crush. I liked this book alot because Vicky seemed to keep really strong with the way she approached things and she always looked out for people before herself.

[Magdalena Giron · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is really great and interesting because of the way it was written. the stuff that the girl goes thru with her family specially her dad for turning his back on them is just really sad. but i think she should of worried more about her family problems instead of worrying about boys problems because family comes first.

[Phoenix Herington]

This book was a very good book. It explains the struggles that life has and how those struggles are okay. Also it teaches that not everybody is right about whats going on and that people jump to conclusions more than they should. I think that the people who read this should be at least a teenager just because they might understand whats going on a little more than younger people would

[Katrina Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is well explained and the more detailed and this is why I love the book. It's a story about a family money issues and Vicky (main character) is trying to help her family even though she wants to spend time with her new boyfriend. :)

[Paula Duszynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot to do with really friendships and family issues

[Cole Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My book is Breaking Point by Karyn Langhorne Folan and Paul Langan. It is part of a 20-book series called the Bluford Series. This book is about a girl in Bluford High School who is having troubles at home. Big bills, lots of yelling, and her Abuelo moving in are causing her to get little sleep and stress more than ever. Just to top it off, when she needs help the most, her friends start making it worse.

I found the book to be okay. I think that it was set up nicely, but it just isn't exactly my type of genre. Even though it's not my normal style, I still enjoyed it as it kept twisting, making me wonder what was next. Sometimes, it even made it hard to set the book down, it just made me want to do one more page, then another, and another. With those big twists, it always left you wanting more.

However, one thing I did not like was the fact that the ending still didn't cover everything up very well. I was still wondering what happened after, the authors did not explain what happened, they just left you a bit and let you imagine. Another thing that I was not fond of was that in certain situations, it was hard to feel bad for the main character, as she was slightly oblivious and didn't listen when others wanted to know what was wrong.

Overall, I believe the positives outweigh the negatives, leaving it a fairly good book. The best audience for the book would be people who like Hallmark-style romances, where it is easy to understand and guess what is going to happen. It is about a girl in high school, so I would say people around the age of 13-18.

I would rate it a 4 out of 5.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I read the story Breaking Point by Karyn Langhorne Folan. This story is about a girl named Vicky and her family and friends. We get a look into her hard and difficult life. Her parents are separating. He dad unemployed started much of these new problems. We learn about her friend Teresa who she has been good friends with since kindergarten. Their friendship is falling apart. We learn about her growing relationship problems. Teresa doesn't even know the many problems Vicky is having at home. Nobody really does. Vicky is having problems with her father, her brother, mother, and grandfather. Vicky gets so stressed she almost stopped eating. She was always sleeping and ignoring everything. Even her teachers noticed this change. She went from smart, kind, and happy Vicky to something different. Less herself than she had ever been she was at a true breaking point. In this heartbreaking story Vicky will have to learn to save everyone. But will she succeed? Or will that breaking point finally break. Will the power of family succeed? Well the only way to find out is to read this story. So come along and join Vicky in this wonderful story!

[Emily Orozco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "Breaking Point" by Karyn Langhorne Folan and Paul Langan is a well written book. The main character Vicky has a pristine life, with good grades, and trustworthy friends, but soon leaves those behind when her father looses his job. Her parents are having constant fight over money that they simply don't have, grandpa moves in,and her little brother becomes unmanageable. All these problems get to Vicky's head and knows when she hits her breaking point, the corruption would be unimaginable. Vicky soon learns that life is unfair and that you have to be careful who you trust. She also learned that not all people tell the truth. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about what is actually happening, in the world, but also human kindness(there was a noce ending) and self strength.

[Dahlia Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent because it deals with their issues, and its very realistic. It kept me flipping the pages but I do wish that the ending was a little more accessible. It didn't complete me in the ending. As well as this book left me hungry for more which i knew it would being a series but it kinda didn't come to a complete end it left me wondering. The author also changed the last name of one of the characters in the previous book, Brothers in Arms. There are also some unanswered questions as to what will happen with Vicky and her family. Again, not Bluford's best in the series, but I would recommend this to a friend.

[Adolfo Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Breaking Point" by Karyn Langhorne Folan is a good turning point of events. The experience as Vicky Folan has to go through a lot of problems at school and home. For example, Vicky's parents have a lot of bills to pay, but they don't have the money. This book has a lot of turning point of events, and it made me want to read the book until the end. I would give this book four out of five stars because I was expecting more in the end. I recommend this book to people who like turning points and who like to think whats going to happen next.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought Breaking Point was good. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars because It is not the usual type of book that I read, but I liked it. This book has a lot of family and friend drama. The people in the story express a lot of emotion and the story seemed like something that could really happen in someones life. The author included a lot of dialogue and details in the story, which was good because it gives you a picture of where the story takes place. It was overall well written and I would recommend it to all my friends.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breaking point is a very good book to me in the Bluford High Series. It has a lot of different kinds of emotions. It makes me thrilled, excited and sad. At first the book may seem a little boring but then you really get into all the drama. The way the book is written makes me feel emotions for the people in the story and for people who might be dealing with this anywhere else in the world. I recommend this book to all who like to have different kinds of emotions and lots of drama.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the story "breaking point" a girl named Vicky struggles to juggle everything at home and at school. She try's her hardest to keep a guy named martin in school and at home not only does she have money problem her parents are having trouble bounding together and her grandfather is moving in to so much to handle. When i read this book it was really great i would recomend this book to people that like drama

[Shanon Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book it has everything that you would want in any good book.It has the perfect amount of drama I remember reading it and I couldn't stop reading it had me at the edge of my seat it was the best book I have read bin a very long time.I think some people could relate to this book.I was proved wrong because I didn't wan't to read this book because of the cover but wow what lies inside of it is amazing.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Breaking Point written by Karyn Langhorne is a very good book. It explains the way on how a girl who is tight on money and might lose her house to the bank. The girl's name is Vicky. She used to be the top of her class, but now her grades are dropping. Everyone wants to know why she is acting strange lately, her teachers, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, Martin. I recommend this book to people who like the Bluford series and like dramatic books.

[Jalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicky Fallon can't take it. Her father has lost his job. Her parents are constantly fighting, and her troubled little brother is out of control. Once an honor student, Vicky is quickly falling behind in her classes at Bluford High. Now her teachers, friends, and new boyfriend, Martin Luna, want answers. Pressured from all sides, Vicky knows something is about to snap. But the explosion that hits her home is worse than anything she could imagine.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very raw account of what it's like to get evicted. Especially as a teenager, when it's not even your fault and it shouldn't be your burden to bare. I was kind of annoyed with her friends and teacher at a certain point. Why do us good students have to always be perfect and get everything right, but meanwhile, the bad students can get things wrong all the time with no criticism? At any rate, it was otherwise a solid book.

[Luis Paniagua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but not a lot. In the book a girl named Vicky Fallon is dealing with a hard situation. Her parents are always having arguments. Vicky is not doing good in school and is falling back in her classes. After her little brother got killed in a drive by shooting she has not been the same. She is under pressure after she has a new boyfriend. I like it because it has a lot of drama in it. I also think I can relate to the book to a situation like this that has happened in my life.

I can connect it to real life because this would happen sometimes in my family. My dad runs out of money and they get into these small arguments. There is also a lot of drama in my life and at home. If You like this book you should Promises To Keep or Blood Is Thicker.

[Charlie Gosselin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breaking point is the most effective book I've ever read in a while.This book made me feel the main character's emotions. I could feel sadness and anger. I could read this book over and over and never get tired of it. I would definitely recommend this book to classmate for its effectiveness on anyone who reads it. I would absolutely continue to reads the series

[DiamondW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The breaking point is a book that explains how others live. Vicky is the main character who starts off as an awesome student but falls off because of a bunch of problems. She starts off with boy problems, then friend problems, to parent problems, and eventually home problems. With all of these problems on her mind it causes her to stress.

[Giovanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book there is a lot of drama,there is this main character her name is Vicky.Well everybody counts on Vicky to be there for them,what they don't know is the stuff that happens at home her parents are always arguing ever since he lost his job,plus to go with this Vicky has a brother and she feels like he is drifting away from the regular person he was.

[Ashton T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Middle school readers and adults of all ages would enjoy this book and series. The ending was very sad, but hopeful. My only complaint is that Vicky needs a sequel. It’s so much left to be said. Her world as she knew it ended and we as readers need to know where she goes from there.