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Author(s)

Sharon G. Flake

Publisher

Scholastic Press

Genre(s)

Coming of Age

Age Range

10+

Release Date

October 01, 2012

ISBN

978-0545057189

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Award-winning author, Sharon G. Flake, presents a powerful novel about a teen boy and girl, each tackling disabilities.

Autumn and Adonis have nothing in common and everything in common. Autumn is outgoing and has lots of friends. Adonis is shy and not so eager to connect with people. But even with their differences, the two have one thing in common--they're each dealing with a handicap. For Autumn, who has a learning disability, reading is a painful struggle that makes it hard to focus in class. But as her school’s most aggressive team wrestler, Autumn can take down any problem. Adonis is confined to a wheelchair. He has no legs. He can't walk or dance. But he’s a strong reader who loves books. Even so, Adonis has a secret he knows someone like Autumn can heal.

In time, Autumn and Adonis are forced to see that our greatest weaknesses can turn into the assets that forever change us and those we love.

Told in alternating voices, Takedown explores issues of self-discovery, friendship, and what it means to be different.

Award-winning author, Sharon G. Flake, presents a powerful novel about a teen boy and girl, each tackling disabilities.

In time, Autumn and Adonis are forced to see that our greatest weaknesses can turn into the assets that forever change us and those we love.

Told in alternating voices, Takedown explores issues of self-discovery, friendship, and what it means to be different.

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0(2)

Characters

3.5(2)

Writing Style

4.5(2)

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The fastest growing youth sport... girls' wrestling!

September 27, 2012

Overall rating

3.7

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Autumn struggles in school but does a great job on her middle school wrestling team. She has an enormous crush on Adonis, who is very academically gifted, the manager of the wrestling team, and in a wheel chair because of a birth defect that resulted in his lack of legs. Autumn's biggest academic struggle is her poor reading skills, which result in her dislike of reading of any kind. She makes some attempts at improving, mainly so that she can stay on the wrestling team and impress Adonis, who finds her very annoying... at first. Autumn volunteers in the school library to be near him, and he comes to find her rather attractive, especially when another boy, Roberto, also likes her. Autumn does get put off the team and makes more attempts to improve herself.

I will buy this for my school library because it has a nice mix of romance and academic struggles, and there's not a lot of that in middle grade literature. I do wish the picture on the cover weren't of such a very thin girl. Look at her arms! Twigs! And she wrestles?

Good Points

I liked so many of the characters. Adonis is brash and cocky, Autumn is like so many of my students who struggle with reading and vocally "hate it" as a response, and the parents and teachers are supportive and interesting. Autumn's parents dropped out in the tenth grade and don't want her to repeat their mistakes, so do try to read with her at home. The depiction of a girl wrestling is great.

Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 2014 reviews

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Finally, Sharon Flake Is Back!

September 25, 2012 (Updated: September 27, 2012)

Overall rating

4.3

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I am greedy for books by Sharon G. Flake. The Skin I'm In is one of the books I recommend most, and also one of the books that most regularly "disappears" from my collection. I consider this the highest compliment to an author--that a book speaks so much to a reader that they need to keep it forever. I need to set aside some of my budget for purchasing extra copies of Pinned because I know my students will want to read this one again and again.

Autumn and Adonis both have admirable strengths: she is the only female wrestler on the school's team and on her way to being the best in the state, he is brilliant and destined for success. Unfortunately, they are also both held back by something which haunts them. Autumn's reading difficulties have followed her through life and now threaten her wrestling career. Adonis, born without legs, keeps his distance from his classmates as he tries to forget how they exposed his helpless side. Lucky for both of them, Autumn is in love with Adonis and could be persistent enough to move both of them forward together.

Autumn is an incredible character, full of complexities and realistic details. Flake takes care to note that even though she has academic shortcomings, Autumn will have success in the future, particularly as a baker and businesswoman. It is a gift to the reader to see Adonis through Autumn's eyes: "I wonder about his brain more than about his legs: how a boy can be so smart, holding things in his head the way sugar holds sweet, making people think they know him when they don't...I want my kids to be born that way. Smarter than everyone else." Although Flake is careful to explain the vulnerability behind his attitude, Adonis can be off-putting and Autumn's adoration goes a long way to temper that.

Flake shines when writing in the voice of African-American adolescents and teachers. She captures the nuances of speech and the heart behind her characters' actions, and makes me want to read her work over and over again. Buy several copies for your library, you'll need them.

Good Points

Sharon Flake is an amazing writer who speaks to young readers.

Megan Kelly Top 50 Reviewer 112 reviews

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User reviews

1 review

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0(1)

Characters

3.0(1)

Writing Style

5.0(1)

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Pinned Review

June 20, 2017

Overall rating

4.0

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Pinned By Sharon .G. Flake. This book is about a girl
named Autumn who likes wants things her ways,
loves wrestling, and she HATES reading. It’s also
about a boy named Adonis who likes to get things
completed, has disabilities, and is very smart. First,
Autumn has feelings for Adonis, but Adonis feels
uncomfortable then, Autumn quits wrestling and
Adonis tutors her after her qutting. At the end,
Autumn and Adonis becomes girlfriend &
boyfriend!
I like this book because, It uses words that readers
has not used yet. The main character keeps big
words in a jar. Because , she doesn’t know how to
read. For example, one of the great words is,
“agatied.’’ I like this part because, Autumn is trying
to express herself and get better. This matters
because, if I don’t know how to pronounce a word
ill save it and try practicing it later and grow my
reading.
I don’t like this book because, the way how they
come to tell the readers two the truth at the end
of the story. There is a girl name Peaches who is
Autumns best friend and them 2 got into a
argument because, Peaches told her that Adonis
and her are cousins . I don’t like that part because,
all that shocking news should of came out at the
beginning. This matters because, if I’m reading a
part where Adonis and Autumn are going back and
forth then why don’t Adonis just throw out
there that him and Peaches are cousins instead of
having all that drama.
In conclusion, the overall recommendation is ,
You should read this book because, the way the
author / character uses big words that some
readers don’t know. You may also not wanna read
it because, the way they did all that drama just
because Adonis and Peaches are cousins