Initiation

By Susan Fine

Mauricio Londo-o's goal for his freshman year at St. Stephen's is simple: basic survival. "I had no idea what could come of packing all those boys into one school building, how the competition would... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738714666
• ISBN13: 9780738714660
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Flux
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

great primer for prep school boys

Great book for boys to read who are starting or in prep school. I went to a prep school not unlike the one detailed in this story. I had no idea what I was to encounter and would have appreciated a story like this to get me up to speed on all the craziness within and around school life. So many things happened that I would never have expected. This book captures the overall feeling that you get in these places very well. Great job! to the author and I hope she writes more...

From J. Kaye's Book Blog

INITIATION is an appropriate title as the story tells of Mauricio Londono's first year at one of Manhattan's most elite private schools, St. Stephen's School for Boys. At first, I really thought this book would be more of a coming-of-age story. It had all the right ingredients. He deals with bullies as well as his social status or his lack of it. Joins the wrestling team and sucks at it, finds a friend who doesn't seem to care about all that and falls in love - well, it's more like lust with his friend's sister. And then, the real chaos begins. Trouble had been brewing all year. As much as possible, Mauricio stayed low, tried not to be noticed. That didn't work out. When things blew up, he was right in the center of things. The bad part was he had no clue what was going on. I thought this was an exceptional book. What caught my attention about the book was its cover. I love it and can't for the life of me explain why. As far as the contents, this was a nice change. I normally read books with a female as the lead character. Jimmy, my son - age 15, felt it "portrayed life realistically." I couldn't agree more.

Smart, moving, impressive debut novel

Susan Fine captures the emotional life of boys and their confused acts of bullying with clear and memorable detail. Her experience as a teacher comes through in her sympathetic portrayal of her characters and her experience as a mother comes through in the way she cares for her protagonist--however, what I was most struck by is the author's creative voice. She is a writer to be watched as there is surely more to come from her. A great read.

Could not put this down!

Wow, I could not put this book down. It is both shocking and believable at once. Funny but also intense. I'm not sure I could make it as a guy -- I never thought about their hierarchies and rules and cruelties. "Mean girls," sure, everybody talks about mean girls, but I don't think it's so easy for the boys either. A must read!