Hero

by S.L. Rottman

Overview

Heroes are hard to find, especially for Sean, who, at fifteen years old, has never had it easy.

He's estranged from his father and abused by his mother—Sean feels he has nowhere to turn. Suspended from school and with a mounting police record, he is one step away from serious trouble. Sentenced to community service for violating curfew, Sean is sent to Mr. Hassler's farm, where he's forced to confront his fears and take charge of his own life. When Sean is faced with a dangerous situation that tests his true character, he learns just what it means to be a hero.

In an age where it seems that few truly worthy heroes exist, S. L. Rottman has written a compelling and realistic portrayal of the conflicts that drive a young man toward his destiny.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561456086
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	05/17/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	221
File size:	615 KB
Age Range:	12 - 16 Years

About the Author

S. L. Rottman is a former teacher and the author of several young adult novels. A graduate of Colorado State University, Rottman lives in Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

Rottman makes a promising debut with this YA novel about an abused teenager who gradually comes to trust another human being. Sean has been let down by people his whole life, especially by his abusive alcoholic mother and his evasive father. So when he has to write an essay about a "hero" for a school assignment, the 15-year-old comes up blank. Then, when a fight lands him a sentence of community service on Mr. Hassler's ranch, he comes to know heroism firsthand. Sean is a likable lonertough as nailswith a survivor's sense of humor ("Today, rumor had it that Rick would be kicking my butt. It's always fun to find out a thing like that from other people"). He meets his match in stalwart Mr. Hassler, a WWII veteran who won't put up with Sean's smart mouth (he even washes it out with soap). In their relationship lies the strength of the novel (other characters, such as Sean's mother, father, and archrival Rick come off as stereotypes). Mr. Hassler gains his trust by fostering Sean's self-confidence (e.g., he teaches Sean to cook and makes Sean assist him in the delivery of a premature colt). Two scenes edge toward melodrama: Mr. Hassler's fist fight with Sean's father, and Rick holding Sean at gunpoint in the denouement. However, the book concludes crediblythere are no easy answers. Sean has discovered the heroism in everyday acts of courageand his message is a powerful one for adolescents. Ages 12-16. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Rottman's first novel pits a bitter teenager against some caring adults and levels his defenses with the prospect of a secure future.

Sean, nine years after his parents' divorce, has never recovered from their separation, which left him in the care of his alcoholic, abusive mother. His father sends support payments but, according to Sean's first-person narration, takes no other interest in his son. When Sean, after misbehaving at school, is assigned to perform community service at a ranch, he is confronted by the outwardly gruff Dave Hassler, a veteran of WW II and all-around old-timer. Called upon to help deliver a foal, muck out stalls, and spread manure over gardens and fields left fallow for the winter, Sean finds himself enjoying the hard work, sense of accomplishment, and security of Dave's environment. When a former best friend, Rick, comes to settle an old score, Sean strikes back, definitively. Convenient encounters (a teacher, Mrs. Walker, shows up at the oddest times), information-laden incidents of eavesdropping, and over-extended parallels between a mare who rejects its foal and Sean's home life mar this debut. A homework assignment about heroes forms an awkward bracket around the main story, in which Sean's surly, snarling mother is a caricature cast among other more realistically drawn adults, and Dave's shining heroism is a transplant from another era entirely.

Kirkus Reviews

"Rottman makes a promising debut with this YA novel about an abused teenager who gradually comes to trust another human being. . . . The book concludes credibly-there are no easy answers. Sean has discovered the heroism in everyday acts of courage-and his message is a powerful one for adolescents."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher