Knockout

Great quality and shipping was very quick - and I refuse to pay for Prime.

Levi was "medically fragile" when he was born and for most of his life, he was treated as such. Now a 7th grader and virtually cleared of all symptoms from his disease, Levi is ready to take on the world with his best friend, Tam. But his family and friends fail to see the new and improved Levi. His brother, Timothy, continues to be overprotective of him and Tam's friend circle expands, leaving Levi feeling like the odd one out.When Levi's dad encourages him to take up a sport, Levi isn't sure what to choose. And there's a catch: Levi has to keep his new sport a secret from his mom and Timothy. Dad suggests boxing and Levi decides to give it a try. What Levi didn't expect was how much he would love it! All of the problems he has with his mom, with Timothy, with Tam, with himself... disappear when he's in the ring.Life gets even better for Levi when he finds out about Xaviers, a school with a competitive boxing team. And the prospect of creating a new friend group where no one will think of Levi as fragile is tempting. How will Levi come clean about his new found sport and convince his mom and brother that this school is the place for him? How can he prove to everyone that he isn't as fragile as they think he is?Knock Out is a companion novel to House Arrest, which I didn't read before KO. In my opinion it isn't necessary to read them in order either. I just fell in love with everything about Knock Out! The writing, the characters, the word art! Levi is perennially a positive thinker and although he makes many iffy decisions, you find yourself rooting for this kid the whole way. I really like how honest Levi is with his emotions, which will make middle grade kids relate to his character and his quest for independence. The book is fast paced and should appeal to 5th - 8th graders or 8 - 12 year old readers.

I must start this by acknowledging that I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, and I am grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.I didn't have huge hopes for this, but boy could I not put it down. Seriously--I read it all in a single sitting, because I had to see it out. Holt manages to write Levi as sensitive and complex, even when things sometimes feel a little cliched or over the top. He makes bad choices, choices honestly that are so painful to watch him make that I like had to look away from the book from secondhand embarrassment, which is a fairly new thing for me. But he's also so clearly growing and making different choices, and it's super powerful to see. I'm not sure how the intended audience for this book would see it, but as an adult, I found it to be super compelling and powerful.

Such a great author. I recently read house arrest the first part and needed to read the second immediately. K.A Holt writes such amazing books and im just obsessed.

I loved House Arrest and knew this was part of that story. I never imagined Levi to be the boxer. I judged Levi by his size and he was so much more.The way these characters speak to me has me gasping for the next (breath) word. Choking on tears and laughing so hard, I. can’t. breathe.I don’t think their words would have the same impact if they talked “normal”, I can’t imagine their story told in a different style. The word pictures add vibrant feelings and make the feelings float off the page, make the characters feel so real.I would love to know what happens to them next!I’d like to thank the author for sharing the world of Timothy and Levi with me.I wish I still taught, I’d love to share these lives with my students.

Fabulous book. I was surprised that it is a sequel toHouse Arrest. I love K.A. Holt and her working stile. She does a wonderful job of bring the whole story together. If you haven't readHouse Arrest, Knock Out would be okay to read, but not having the back ground you would get from House Arrest will cause you to miss all the extra details Holt ours into the book.As for the quality of the physical appearance off the book. I was in brand new condition. I received it very quickly and was very pressed with the product as a whole.

Just as I grew to love Timothy in House Arrest, I totally loved Levi in this book. I love his spirit, his tenacity, and his passion for boxing. Well done!

Wow! This book is amazing. It's an emotional roller coaster. I loved to see Levi when he was Timothy's age. Great work Holt!

I found this story moving, compelling and stirred up emotions, as someone who feels small/insignificant at times, and imagine a contact sport such as boxing or wrestling as a catharsis, as a way of feeling 'tall'. I am now an adult and sadly didn't get the chance to extend myself like Levi did, but then perhaps it is as well, as I do not possess Levi's smartness nor his dancing feet. Thank you for 'striking a chord' with me, and for loading your words of emotion like a well timed punch on target. X