Remembering the Good Times

Reader reviewed by Dylan Tunheim

Dylan Tunheim

I thought remembering the good times was the worst book.i have ever read it was slow paced and there was no story line to it I thought travis would die soon in the book so that everybody would learn a lesson. But no because he had to die at the end travis was the worst character because he acted like an adult all the time there wasnt time to be a kid like everybody else. I didnt care for the way the characters acted because they acted like the 50s that time period not the 2000s if they would have made this story a little more fast paced they would have made a pretty good but there attempt was a total failure nobody wants to read about a old lady in solcum like polly. I think they should have made travis come from a bad family and that would be better than what they have now for travis. And they should of made them a little bit older at the beginning of the story that would have made it better but in the long run a suicide is killing yourself because of self pain on the inside or it can be on the outside or it can just be coming from a bad family and not getting enough attention. Travis was the guy everyone counted on and he didnt want to be that person he didnt like being in regular classes because he felt that he was wasting his talents. I would not recommend having someone read RTGT because it is not a story for school.

Reader reviewed by Kaia H.

To be honest, I definitely hated the book. At some parts, I felt like I had to low of a comprehension level to understand it. And at other parts, I felt like they thought I was stupid. The author also needed to be a lot more descriptive. The words were dull and boring. I see how if the author used too many descriptive words it would be difficult to read, but there were hardly any. I bet the book would have gotten a better review if he (the author) would have only taken five more minutes to change the word cool to awesome. Another point I have is that the book didnt really interest me. I like mystery and humor books, not dull books about kids who sit around and play cards. Maybe people who have no friends, sit in a desk all day, and get straight As might like this book, but I strongly dislike it. Although, I believe that my grandma might actually like this one. This book just is not for me. I mean, some of the parts in the book were sad and almost made me cry, but there were other parts that I just thought were stupid. Example: Every day Trav. And I would head over to Kates house to play cards. What is the point of that? Nothing ever happened when they were playing cards. It made no sense to write that. I didnt tell you that after that sentence there was a heck of a lot of other words that described what games they played and who won them. I dont really care about that, because it is not like they ended going to the big league. That book is just kind of an oldie. I guess that I will just repeat myself, I hated it!

Reader reviewed by Miranda

Miranda Schwanke
Period
11/18/08

In this book Remembering the Good Times, I have an opinion on many things. But over all I would have to say that Remembering the Good Times is an amazing book.
Remembering the Good Times helps me remember my good and some what bad times, and how a death of a loved one in my family changed my life. It also opened my eyes to how easy it is to miss the warning signs of a loved one about to take his or hers own life.
This book also showed me that we may not know our friends or even our own family as they sink lower into depression. And even how there are people out there who are willing to do anything to keep there loved ones safe. Just like on page 118 paragraph 5
Even when Trav died made me think of all the people out there that are dong or thinking about doing the same thing! Plus when Kate showed buck the peach garden I started thinking about some special place where I would go just to be alone sometimes.
Anyway reading Remembering the Good Times has the truth on just about some of the most important things in life. Even when I was done reading Remembering the Good Times I was still asking myself, do I really know my best friend or any of my fiends for that matter? How about my family do I really know anything about how a family member feels as well as I think I know them? It all goes to show that someone we know and love may be the next one to take their own life.

Reader reviewed by Charleston

Buck and Kate just met randomly. Then they go and watch a baby horse being born. They never really see each other for a while till school starts. Buck and Kate are at school, where the bully Skeeter is raising some anarchy by harassing the teacher Ms. Slater and the students. Then out of nowhere this kid magically calms Skeeter down somehow. So Buck and Kate start being friends with this kid and his name is trav.
So Buck, Kate, and Trav start hanging out at Kates house. Kate live with her grandma Polly Prior, and her mom but her mom is never really home so Kate has to take care of Polly. They would play many board games like monopoly and some card games. Polly would cheat to win no matter what the circumstances are. Trav would push himself way to much for school he was in all the advanced classes. Then they made it to high school. Skeeter stole Bucks Dads hardhat so Buck and Skeeter fight. Skeeter wins but Buck got the hard hat back. Trav and Kate came and yelled at Buck for a while then went to Irenes for help with the awful bleeding. Next there is a Halloween themed homecoming dance. Kate and Rusty have a plan for Mr. Slater to beat up Skeeter up and it works. Then Kates Play is coming up and Buck and Trav miss it because Trav is in jail for stealing toys. Then Trav does suicide and the book pretty much ends.
I did not like this book at all. I would of have never read it if my school didnt make us do it. I would never recommend this to someone.

Reader reviewed by sam

I dont think that Remembering the Good Times was a bad book for several reasons. First I hate how almost all of the events leading up to Travis suicide are so dull and boring. All the book talks about is Bucks mom moving away with her boyfriend. Also they go to high school.
The only interesting parts in the book are when Buck and Skeeter fight. Then when Trav gets arrested for breaking into a toy store. I suppose the best part in the whole book is when Trav commits suicide; I think that is one of the best parts in the book.
I think if the author would have put some more interesting events it would have been a pretty good book. I dont think it is all bad though. He has good characteristics in writing. I mean he has really good describing words. I think that he used too much dialogue. It just takes to long to read, only because it is too lengthy.
Overall I do not like this book and I would not recommend this to anyone. Also I think this is the worst or at least one of the worst books I have ever read in my whole life. I am so happy that we are finally done with it. I think that the teachers should recognize how boring this book is. So, this is why I think that this was a very bad book to me and anyone if youre smart.
By: Sam Paulson

Reader reviewed by Makaygan P.

This story, Remembering the good times, was boring and interesting at times. Sometimes the book did not make any sense to me. To me they should have used characters that were like us and used a whole different time period so we could relate to it more. I did like it at times because it taught you what other kids go through that have lost their friends. The message of the story to me was that no matter how much you think you know someone you dont actually know what they will do. This story showed all the signs people should have seen but didnt. When people blame their selves for other peoples actions is what I didnt like. Their were a lot of things people could have done to prevent this. Examples would be his friends could have been their more for him, his parents should not have put so much tress on him, and the school should have had more educated classes for those who wanted them. Buck mendenhall and Kates characters could have been in more detail and went through their personal life too. Travs character was displayed very nicely. I thought it gave a vivid picture and brief details on what hes like and his life. The fact that Trav actually died I did not like either. In my opinion, the writer of the story should have portrayed it where he tried to kill himself but didnt succeed in. Also I didnt like that everyone thought it was other peoples fault. It was no ones fault. No one could have stopped this. But I also thought it was interesting because it shows the emotions and the hardships kids have to pass when one of their close friends died. On a five-star scale I would have given this book a 3 because it gave great details but could have had more interesting parts.

Reader reviewed by justin h

Remembering the Good Times is the title of this book. I really do not like this book al all. I guess that is just my opinion, I hated the book. I just dont like the feeling of people killing them selves. Most of the book never caught my interest. The only reason I am reading this book is because I have to for school. But in a sense I am glad that the teacher made us read this book because any one can really learn a lesson about this book. The lessons that this book teaches us is that friendship is very important to everyone. I dont think that any one can survive with out friendship. Honestly I absolutely did not like this book, but any one of you might like this book just is not my kind of book. I am into more of like hunting and adventure and sports books. If you are the kind of person that likes strange friendship books and total drama and all of that stuff then this definitely the book for you. I also hate how Kate is so possessive and makes buck like quit the football team. She practically pulled buck off of the field. I also dont like when Travis kills himself that they dont even have a funnel for him in the sane town. His parents hold the funnel in a way far away place where he liver previously. But one of the few parts about the book is Rusty Hazelfield. I like her because she has a mind of her own. She also dresses strange and funny

Reader reviewed by Alan H

I disliked the book remembering the good times because I couldnt get into the book. It would have been better if the friends would have more arguments and a fight about who has a better grade or who has a better life like Trav did. The beginning of the story wasnt very interesting either. It could have started out at a school or a gas station. A good example would be that buck was walking threw school not paying attention to what he was doing and knocked all her books down and then went to pick them up and she asked to be friends or he could have saw her walk by a gas station and ask if she wanted a coke. I think that would be a good intro.

The only thing I liked about the book was the two deaths of Scotty and Trav. Trav suicide because he didnt think everything in the world he did for his parents was perfect so he hung himself and Scotty was killed in a robbery at the Sunoco gas station. And another thing I liked about the book was the costumes Trav, Kate, and Buck wore to the dance. Trav wore a solider costume. Kate wore a faded pink dress and buck wore a raccoon jacket that was really old because it was missing patches of fur. The last thing I liked about the book is when buck fights Skeeter just to get his dads work hat back and he does.

Reader reviewed by Collin F.

Remembering the Good Times is a book about three kids; Buck, Kate, and Travis or Trav. Buck is the narrator in the story and his mom and dad are divorced. Trav is a rich boy and he is really nice to other people plus he is a great student in school and gets straight As. Kate usually ends up taking care of her family because her mom is always gone and lives with her grandmother Polly. Polly is an old lady in a wheelchair. She says that is to old to die and the meanest person in Slocum.
Buck ends up living with his dad full time because Bucks mom marries Fred and they move to Cleveland. When Buck first met Kate they went on and watched a cow being born. Another character in the story is Skeeter. He is important because he is a bully and tortured the teachers by throwing their stuff off the desks. Trav comes into the story then
by taking Skeeters hand and just held on to them and everyone in the class was then quiet for the rest of the class. Eventually Rusty Hazenfield comes into the story and she is a girl from California.
Buck starts working at the Sunoco, a gas station owned by Scotty and Irene, some good friends of Buck and his dad. One night Scotty gets shot and the store was robbed. Scotty died a week later in the hospital. In the end of the story Trav eventually commits suicide because people thought he was a troubled child in his mind. I honestly did not like this book because it did not give us enough information about the topic.

Reader reviewed by Rem B

First Kate meets Buck in the sixth grade. Bucks parents got a divorce in Seventh grade. Then they dont see each other till Eighth grade. Kate and Buck start hanging out after Trav calms down Skeeter while he was on his destructive rampage. Trav and Buck and met Polly at Kates house one afternoon. Buck, Trav, Kate and Polly all play cards for a long time in their spare moments. Trav continues to push himself to do infinitely better in school. Buck left to go to Cleveland with his mother for the summer. He hated it.

When Buck gets back he finds Kate and she tells him that the ninth grade is no longer at the middle school, its at the high school. So the trio go to the High school and start their freshman year. Trav is put into all the advanced classes and does incredibly well in school, while Kate and Buck are left in the regular classes. During a party at the Kirbys house, Kate and Buck get to see in Travs room. There are all sorts of toys from his childhood. Then while Kate performed her play, Buck and his dad had to go to the police station to help bail out Trav. He had shoplifted a lot of little kid toys. Then Trav was gone for the entire summer. No one knew why. Trav got back a day before school started. He gave Kate his stuffed bear and Buck his calculator. Then Trav hung himself.

This book is an excellent example of writing talent and discusses a real world happening. I really like this book because of its attention to detail, but it had quite a choppy storyline. All considered, an excellent read.