Brianna October 31, 2002

Freewill By: Chris Lynch ISBN: 0-06-028117-4

"Are you listening? No, LISTEN. Down at the pond last night. Sombody was killed." In this realistic fiction, Will wants to be a pilot, but ended up in wood shop. He makes beautiful things. All of a sudden, he starts making wooden carvings. When a bunch of teen deaths happen and he is blamed he starts to investigate uncovering secrets that nobody wants to know.

Freewill was a definite page-turner that you won't be able to put down. It touches on aspects in life that almost every teenager goes through. This type of book could almost be classified as a murder mystery. It definitly keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes murderous, scary stories and is above the age of 13. I say that because there are a lot of swearing in this book and the style of writing (second person) is a little bit difficult to understand. For example. "How does it feel? Is the job done? Did you kill it, him, us? It is gone, Will? Is it better? Is it worse? Is it finished, or is it the beginning?
Who did you hit? What did you hit? Did it hurt? Who did it hurt?" Now you might think that this is someone talking and just asking a lot of questions, but it's not. This is pretty much how the whole narration of the book is. I couldn't figure out if this was Will's inner thought's or maybe someone communicting telepathically with him or what because it uses the word 'you' when talking about Will. But other than that it is a great book. It did, like I said, keep you on the edge of your seat and left you hanging at the end. So if I controlled everybody's actions I would definitly say, "Go get a copy of Freewill and read it NOW!"

Freewill, by Chris Lynch.
If you like uncovering mysteries and secrets then you will definitely like this book. Freewill has a little bit of everything like suspense, imagination, revealing secrets, etc. It is a little confusing but the more you read, the more you understand. ...

this book is so amazing....its practically beyond words. the magnificent way that christopher lynch portrayed will's thinkink is amazing. this whole story and premise is breathtaking. i would reccomend this to anyone. it's so beautiful and truthful.

Gypsy Davey was a pretty good book about a kid named Davey and how hard his life was. His dad isn't around and his mom drinks a lot and has a lot of boyfriends. His sister takes care of him mostly when he is little, but then when she is a teenager she has a baby. This story talks a lot about all the responsibilities that Davey has during his life, but it also talks about how the way he was raised helps him know how he wants to be as an adult. He wants to be a good father and have a good life.

Many middle-school students wish their parents would just leave them alone to make their own decisions. After reading the story of Davey's life, a student might think again. The freedom and neglect Davey lives with prevent him from doing well in school, forming good friendships and enjoying 'normal' activities. The adventures Davey experiences are interesting, funny and can help a reader to appreciate all that he/she has been given. Readers who enjoy reading about the realities of life, or think they have it tough may want to read this book. If a person liked Forest Gump, he/she will probably enjoy this novel.

This was a very good book. It was good because it teaches you many things about life. It shows some things about life that are sad,but true. Even though young people like Chris Lynch's books the most, adults should also like his books because they might teach them a thing or two. Chris Lynch should write more books because they are interesting and fun to read.

Eric, the protagonist in Iceman, struggles through a difficult adolescence that can even be what some may label sociopath. His infatuation with death, his enjoyment of hurting people, and his lack of any connection to another person causes the reader to wonder if he has any emotion.
Spending time at the local mortuary instead of attending school seems well beyond the average teenagers fascination with death. Even his brother's girlfriend, a high school dropout, finds his behavior peculiar. He makes mention of this obsession one day at church after killing a mouse."?I just smiled, weaved in and out of light sleep, occasionally pulling the dead mouse back out with my foot so I could look at him. When something's dead, I can?t help looking at it."(Lynch. P99)
It seems when reading more carefully though the book, Eric's infatuation may be connected with his desire to retreat from the world he lives in. Sitting in a coffin is Eric's way of pretending he is dead and with death comes solitude, something that a controlling father and mother, constantly trying to save him, do not allow him to have. "Hope they thought I was a dead person and ran. I just wanted my peace anyway."(Lynch. 53)
Eric's anger when he play?s hockey is apparent in the way his focus lies on "wrecking" the other players rather than winning the game. Even his teammates loathe him and refer to him as 'the animal' because he seems out of control. "I was the kind of guy who could sever another guy's head without feeling a thing. I was after all, the Iceman."(Lynch. 166)
Is Eric really interested in causing pain? After all he's only playing hockey because his father is making him. The anger he exhibits during hockey seems to be displaced because he often states he isn?t even aware of his rage until he is sitting in the penalty box. "I broke a new Christian Brothers hockey stick. I broke it on somebody's head. He was a teammate of mine. The funny part is I don?t really remember being that angry."(Lynch. 69)
Eric's desire to be close with his dad is apparent in the way he is constantly looking for another connection beyond hockey. Eric doesn't want to disappoint his father by telling him that hockey isn't as important anymore but he fears that that will take away the only channel their relationship is based upon. "I'm thinking?maybe we don?t have to talk about hockey right now. I'm thinking we may talk about something else. Like your job dad. I'm thinking about public relations. Can you tell me more about it? Do you like it? Is it interesting? How did you wind up in it? Is it something you always wanted?"(Lynch. 67)
Overall Eric seems like a lost adolescent growing up in a dysfunctional family. He is being pushed into something that he does not like nor want to do. If he follows in his brother's footsteps and finds something else that is more appealing to him, he may end up all right after all.

Doesn't the writer get any choice over the cover of their book? Not only is this one really hideous, it isn't good for the story except in a really obvious way. Put me off buying the book.

One of the best sports novels ever! Fourteen year old Eric is a hockey player, though he is not sure he wants to be one. Caught in the dynamics of an EXTREMELY dysfunctional family, Eric struggles to find himself.

Compelling characters. Lynch is a master of the relationships between brothers, and Duane is one of the best older-brother figures I have encountered in young adult fiction.

It all started when the club leader Wolf-gang added two new additions when he took over. Their names were Scratch and Killer. Scratch was an awsome guitar player. The gang started a band with some help from Scratch. When things started to go good they went down the drain. There plans were ruined by a mean , wicked prank. "Scratch and the Sniffs" was a great book and fun to read. At times it got boring though. I think the book would seem better if your read the other books in the serious first. I give this book three stars because i liked it but , only three because it was boring during parts. I would recommend this book for fifth graders. The funiest thing about this book was that the group called themselves the "He Man Women Haters" even though at sometime in the book all the guys seemed to like a girl.