Review Detail

Sam Parma, a teen who is more interested in baseball than golfing, is urged by his mother to go join a local golfing tournament: the Schoolboy. Protesting, but eventually reluctantly agreeing, Sam is dropped off with a handful of golf clubs and his younger brother. Its already looking pretty glum for Sam, but to top it all off, Sams uncle was a winner of the very same tournament years before, and the pressure is on for Sam to prove himself. Little does he know that he life will be teaching him many various lessons that could prove handy later on, throughout his life, as he makes his way around the course.

Sam meets the three people at the first tee with him: a rich boy (obviously equipped much more nicely than Sam himself), a rather vulgar, short-tempered boy, and a rude bully. There is a fair amount of cheating, bullying, problems and conflicts as these boys make their way around the course, but one things for certain, Sam walks away with a lot more learned, not only about golf, but about himself and life.

I dont want to give too much away, but a nice message is well woven into this book: step up to challenges, theyre part of life, and its better to learn from them than to let them corner you. The Schoolboy was an easy read with a good message. It did drag at points, becoming dull, but most teens can relate to facing challenges, just as Sam did. Not exactly my type of book, but I do like the realistic characters that many readers can relate to, as well as the message, of course! Perhaps golfers will enjoy this novel more, but most importantly, there is always something to take away from each experience, just keep your mind and your eyes open and step up to challenges!