RanVan: A Worthy Opponent

By Diana Wieler

Book Overview

As winter closes in and he settles into his new life in Thunder Bay, Rhan Van's victories in Vancouver seem a million miles away. Rhan, now 16, and his grandmother have moved in with cousin Zoe, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 088899219X
• ISBN13: 9780888992192
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 4.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Just had to write something.

I just had to write something considering the two other reviews on this book right now. This book is excellent for what it is. Young Adult fiction. First a brief synopsis: RanVan is a normal kid more or less who moves with his grandmother (both his parents are dead) to Thunder Bay, Canada and this book is about his adventures in this new town. The book immediately starts off with a characterization of the town which almost any kid will identify with if they live in a mill town or a similar blue collar town where jobs are done more with your hands and feet than your brains. The main thrust of the story is about Ran's relationship with his new girlfriend in town and "Iceman" his worth opponent at the arcade but if this sounds very simple and hackneyed, it isn't if you actually bother to read the book. The characters are relatable and the story very engaging for a child 13-16 years old high school age or just about (Ranvan's age in the book). There are many qualities in this book that make excellent reading for someone of that age. I'm 23 myself and actually will buy this book a boy 15 years old and I am confident he will not only like it but learn some life lessons from the book. If you never grew up in a mill town or come from a traditional family unit of mother/father 2.5 children (which is less and less likely now at days anyway) this book might not hit the same notes as it would someone who knows a little about loss at a younger age and lives in a place where meth lab busts and football season are a much bigger part of everyone's lives than studying for the SAT IIs and being on the equestrian team. Regardless however, if the child reading this book as any aptitude they will gain something from this book. The book is the 2nd in a series and the 3rd is even better in my opinion. Ironically I never read the first in the series until reading the 2nd and 3rd book but Bad Boy was not as good as either this one or Magic Nation. The characters have depth and believability and much of the external things you see on the cover with the video game angle is nothing but a hook (a good one for most boys) and there are lessons being taught about life that makes it perfect for that kid that is a little rough around the edges but has a good heart. I hope the handful of people that read this review will pick it up. The one star review most likely still on this page as you read this is an obvious rant by a kid but even more likely by a kid who did not read the book at all was probably require by a teacher perhaps to put up a review? There is no other reason I can think of for such a long negative rant by a kid who is either just beginning high school or still in middle school proof positive is the fact that everything written in the review about the actual book itself can be read from the back of the book makes it clear the review was probably done as a sloppy assignment. This book is probably not for every kid but the fervo

An enjoyable book

I really liked this book. The characters just seemed to come alive in my head, and they seemed so different from any characters I had ever read. However, this book is not for everybody. Some will find the character stupid and unrealistic. I did not.