Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane couldn't be more different--they come from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, and they have very different values and ways of looking at the world and dealing with people. Yet they both have the drive, determination, and commitment to self-sacrifice necessary to become a champion. In the end, though, only one will stand in the center of the mat with his arms raised in victory. Has each boy prepared enough? Sacrificed enough? Does each want to win enough? All the training, pain, running, and cutting weight ultimately comes down to a few short minutes on a wrestling mat--leaving one boy the victor, the other devastated. Grade 8 Up - Alternating story lines converge to introduce two very different, talented but flawed high school athletes whose sports careers peak when they meet in the finals of the 129-pound division of the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship. Bobby's dad is a lawyer, his mom a successful real-estate agent. He attends an affluent suburban school with a winning wrestling tradition and a first-class coach. As his season progresses, Bobby blossoms, becoming smooth, quick, and strong. Ivan, in contrast, mourns his recently deceased mother, chafes under the thumb of his old-school Polish papa, and seethes with unspoken anger. He is an outcast even on his own team, a brutish and intimidating force on the mat. Despising his coach, Ivan pins his hopes on a scholarship to take him far away from his depressing blue-collar town. Ivan adores Shelley, the devoted girl next door, while Bobby lusts after Carmelina, whom he met at the mall. Bobby gets her pregnant, which, along with the breakup of his parents' marriage, adds stress to his already taxed, starved, driven body. There is an uneven quality to the writing, which, like the athletes and the language they use, is a bit raw. But the portrayal of the dedication required and the varied motivations of student athletes is certainly on target. Many teens will identify with the boys' struggles both on and off the mat. Some readers may be irritated at the inconclusive, yet perhaps inevitable, ending, but this book is really about getting to the finals. - Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 9-12. Alternating chapters explore the wrestling seasons of Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane--both high-school seniors and contenders for the New Jersey state title in their weight class. The young men are different in many ways. Ivan is the son of Polish immigrants from a poor town in the southern part of the state; Bobby is from the affluent north. While the wrestling scenes are well described in gritty, testosterone-influenced language, what sets this novel apart are the rich portraits of the central characters' lives away from the wrestling mats. The author doesn't shy away from using the rough language of the locker room or describing a sexual encounter in fairly graphic detail. Though the unresolved ending may leave some readers disappointed, the teens' personal quest to reach the season's final match forms the novel's compelling core. Todd Morning Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved A great show of the drive and intensity necessary to be a champion. -- Rulon Gardner, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist - Greco-Roman Wrestling I recommend this book for any who know and appreciate the sport. Read it! -- Gene Mills, U.S. Olympic Team Member Freestyle Wrestling Pinned is a great story. -- Ken Chertow, U.S. Olympic Team Member Freestyle Wrestling Pinned reminded me of my high school years on the Paramus (NJ) wrestling team. -- Matt Ghaffari, U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Greco-Roman Wrestling This one will keep you reading. Alfred Martino plays this story like a fine violin. -- Chris Crutcher, Author Wrestling has been a part of  Alfred C. Martino's  life for thirty years. He has competed on the midget, junior high, high school (Millburn, NJ), and collegiate (Duke '86) levels, as well as coached Millburn's youth program for five years. He has worked as a staff reporter for the  El Segundo Herald  (CA) and  The Beach Reporter , a combined weekly circulation of 80,000, covering high school and professional sports, including the local high school wrestling teams. He currently lives in Jersey City, NJ.