Hero
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Hero

Hero

by S.L. Rottman

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781561454273
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Publication date: 10/28/2007
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 144
Sales rank: 382,669
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range: 12 - 16 Years

About the Author

S.L. Rottman is a former teacher and the author of several young adult novels. A graduate of Colorado State University, Rottman lives in Colorado.

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Hero 4.6 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 24 reviews.
dlmann on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Sean has been living with his divorced, abusive, alcoholic mother for years. When Sean gets in trouble at school he is sentenced to community service on a ranch owned by Mr. Hassler. Sean never dreams of such a life changing experience in only one week.A very good book for young adults. This is one of my all time favorites for young people.
JRlibrary on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
15 year old Sean has been abused by his mother and father, neglected, and is headed for trouble. He is sent to perform community service at a farm owned by an old man who teaches Sean a lot. When a tough, drug using bully shows up at the ranch and threatens Sean's new friends, he acts instantly and becomes the hero he's trying to define.
kpickett on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Sean is a troubled kid, his dad left when he was young, his mom is an abusive alcoholic and no one thinks Sean can do anything. Until Sean is assigned community service on a ranch with an old rancher who is determined to prove that there are still heroes in the world.
slightlyfan on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
A great book with a surprising ending. It is fast paced and a good read. The characters are unique and complex. If you liked this book, I really suggest Tex and Taming the Star Runner by S. E. Hinton.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
This book was amazing because it really makes you think about what a hero is . It is something that you can connect to if your like Sean and need a guide to start your life. This book has a lot of wisdom just behind two covers.
PiccoultFan More than 1 year ago
I am a middle school teacher and this is one of my all-time favorite books, personally and to teach. I don't think I've had a student who hasn't liked this book. Even the most reluctant boys enjoyed it. The story is about a troubled boy with neglectful parents who is sentenced to do community service on a farm. The man he meets there becomes his mentor. But the best part of the book is the surprise ending! Really made me think about the concept of a "hero" and what is means to have a hero. Awesome book!
Cullen More than 1 year ago
Cullen Baldwin
Mrs. Lasley
2B
21 December 2009
Online Book review
The book Hero by S.L. Rottman was a really well written book that can really get to your heart if you are an emotional person. Hero is a book a bout a kid named Sean who has a really bad life at home and as a result of that he gets in a lot of trouble at school. He is always fighting and he really does not care about his grades at all. All of these problems with misbehavior cause him to have to serve community service on a barn. When I read that he was going to have to serve community service I knew that maybe he would turn his life around. In fact this book reminded me of a kid that went to my elementary school that was always getting in trouble but deep down he was a good kid and that would come out if he got a little help. On the farm he falls in love with a horse which I could not believe. This books ending was shocking and it made me realize that there is good in everyone.
TeensReadToo More than 1 year ago
Imagine having a mother who doesn't seem to know you exist. Unless she needs money or someone to take her frustrations out on. Imagine having a father who hasn't had contact with you in two years, even though he lives only a couple of hours away. A father who kept taking you back to an abusive mother until he became too busy to even come see you at all.

Sean just plain doesn't care anymore. So he's been suspended yet again for fighting - big deal. It'll be just another vacation. That is, until he's assigned community service at a local ranch. Starting immediately.

Mr. Hassler, the old geezer ranch owner, puts Sean to work cleaning out stalls, spreading manure, and unloading feed. Things change when he helps deliver a colt that imprints Sean, instead of its mother. Their bond helps him explore his tangle of emotions about his parents and Mr. Hassler.

HERO is a heartwarming story about a young man in search of someone to love and respect, including himself. Rottman leaves the reader wanting more as Sean faces a new future with his dad and the ranch.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Overall, this book was pretty good. It was a nice story about a angerly challenged kid who eventually, with the a help of a farmer, 'finds his way.' I did however find a lot of the lessons very repetative, therefore most parts were pretty boring and expected.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Imagine having a mother who doesn¿t seem to know you exist. Unless she needs money or someone to take her frustrations out on. Imagine having a father who hasn¿t had contact with you in two years, even though he lives only a couple of hours away. A father who kept taking you back to an abusive mother until he became too busy to even come see you at all. Sean just plain doesn¿t care anymore. So he¿s been suspended yet again for fighting ¿ big deal. It¿ll be just another vacation. That is, until he¿s assigned community service at a local ranch. Starting immediately. Mr. Hassler, the old geezer ranch owner, puts Sean to work cleaning out stalls, spreading manure, and unloading feed. Things change when he helps deliver a colt that imprints Sean, instead of its mother. Their bond helps him explore his tangle of emotions about his parents and Mr. Hassler. HERO is a heartwarming story about a young man in search of someone to love and respect, including himself. Rottman leaves the reader wanting more as Sean faces a new future with his dad and the ranch. **Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger
Guest More than 1 year ago
I can't believe I almost skipped this book! It's really amazing. The way the reader sees sean slowly change his views will make you cry. You feel like Sean because he learns things from Mr. Hassler in a way that it seems that Mr. Hassler is talking to you. All the 'Words of Wisdom' inside this book is amazing. I've never bee the same again.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Hero is a book about a 15 year old boy named Sean that has a lot of problems both inside and outside of school. One day he gets in a fight at school with a guy that he has hated for years and get's suspended from school and has to do community service. He finally went to court and they assigned him to do his service on a ranch owned by Mr. Hassler. The first night he's there he helps give birth to a baby horse, Sean names him Knicker, and becomes very attached to him. He also becomes very attached to Mr. Hassler and ends up staying with him for a while because his mom (who is a very abusive alcoholic) slammed him into a wall and punctured his head on a rusty nail. His mom later ended up in the hospital because of her drinking problem and a judge came to the ranch to talk to Sean about his home life. He told the judge everything and then was placed at the ranch until his dad (who had divorced Sean's mom and moved a away and hadn't been part of Sean's life until about a week before this all happened) could have costody of him. Then the day that he finally got back into school the same dude that had gotten him into a fight before, showed up on the ranch with a gun and demanded Sean to hide his drugs and $ there and not tell anyone or else he'd shoot Knicker. Mr. Hassler soon comes looking for Sean and finally saw Rick, the kid with the gun. Before Rick could shoot Mr. Hassler or Knicker, Sean tackled Rick and got shot. Sean ended up in the hospital and one of his teachers gave Mr. Hassler a report he had been writing his whole stay at the ranch. It was about heros and what makes them. It's an awesome book and it tells the truth about what it's like today. I think anyone would enjoy reading it even if it's not your stye. It really touches your heart and opens your eyes to what life is like and that people can change. They just need the extra support, effort and care put in by someone other than themselves.
Guest More than 1 year ago
i read this book in my english class. its a very good book.. REally keep you interested. It even teach you some lesson on what the main character learned. Its great. I would love to read it over and over again. ^_^
Guest More than 1 year ago
I thought this book was the best book i have ever read. Every time i read at least 5 pages I didnt want to stop reading the book. It was so interesting. The end of the book was sort of sad and touching. This is my favortie book!!!
Guest More than 1 year ago
This book really has an impact. It shows that anyone can be a hero, depending on their actions.
Guest More than 1 year ago
This book hero is a really great book because it can relate to alot of people. I whould rate this book a 10-10 because it is about fun and excitement but also enemy rampaging at the same time. The book really gets to me though because the ending is though of a sad story but happy at the same time. The best part is when Manda had the baby and the baby was really hooked to Sean although Manda was the mom a\wich is a horse and Sean is just a friend wich is a human. and last i think that the book was just all around a really great story to a kid.
Guest More than 1 year ago
I picked up this book yesterday, concluding that it looked like an interesting storyline. I also finished it yesterday. I had no idea I was going to like it so much! Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I loved both Sean's and Mr. Hassler's characters. You should really pick up this book, espically if you like realistic fiction.
Guest More than 1 year ago
I have honestly read this book about 12 times. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who enjoys reading about what really happens in an average teen's life nowadays.
Guest More than 1 year ago
I read this book twice and did a book report on it. It is one of the best books I've ever read, and one of the best child-abuse fictions I've ever read. Surprises you, touches you, and take you in. Sean rises to be his own hero when he finds one in Mr. Hassler. I want to own a copy of this book!!!
Guest More than 1 year ago
This story is about a boy, named Sean, who was having trouble at home and at school. At school there was a bully picking fights with him. One day he got into a fight and the got suspended for a week and Sean had to go work on a farm while he was suspended. But while he was on the farm he had to write a report over what makes a hero. On the farm he learns to care for the people working on the farm. At home his mom is a drunk that beats him and his dad left his mom. One night when Sean came home his mom was really drunk and all she cares about is money and she thought Sean was getting paid for his work and she wanted him to give her all of it to her. Sean and his mom got in a huge fight and she pushed him into a wall and a nail cut his head open and he ran away from home. On the farm he learns a lot of life lessons and it¿s a great book.
Guest More than 1 year ago
I thought that this was the best book I have read in years. This book has a good story-line. But i think that the begining went by to fast. I think that the author should have more about his life before he was in high school. Sean does not have a friend and he is always getting into trouble.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Why hasn't anyone reviewed or commented on this wonderful book? It's a shame if people aren't picking up this one. The author has done superb job at creating a compelling and hearfelt story about a troubled teen and the man trying to give him a chance at turning his life around. Sean is the kind of kid most outside observers would quikly write off as a loser and totally miss out on the complexity of his life. The farm where Sean is court ordered to work, is run by a tough but kindly older man, Mr. Hassler. I was completely taken in by both characters quickly. I cared what happened to them. Most teen boys(or even adult men)should have no problem relating to at least some of Sean's anger at himself and the tragic situations that have all but beat him down. This story has compassion as well as an edge. There's a brutal scene in the book that made me cringe just read it. But it's a moment that is certainly in keeping with Sean's pent up emotions. I thought I had the ending figured out early into the book. But I was wrong! I love to be surprised. Also, if you like horses you'll probably like this novel.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Sean's English teacher expects him to write about a hero and in the next few days he'll find out just what it takes to be a hero. Being fifteen is hard enough. Sean's abusive and alcoholic mother seems to want little do with him unless it involves money. His father left years ago and hasn't seen Sean in over two years. So it's no surprise when he ends up in a fight at school and is suspended. And to make matters even worse the police stop him for breaking curfew. Now Sean has to do community service, in addition to his in school suspension. At the farm Sean will learn about himself, the people he cares about, and just what is a hero. S.L. Rottman brings fifteen Sean to life with the feelings and frustrations of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Though we don't see much of his mother, the author gives us a true glimpse of an abusive alcoholic. Through Sean's eyes we see that absentee parenting never truly works. This first novel is thoughtful and thought provoking. Though readers may want a 'happy' resolution, Rottman has given them something better. Recommended as a part of any study on heroes. Readers of Hero will enjoy S.E. Hinton's and Robert Cormier's novels.
Guest More than 1 year ago
Sean is one of the saddest people in the world. Perhaps it's because his mother and father are divorced, his father hasn't communicated with him in years, and his mother abuses him. Sean won't tell anyone, and because of his anger towards the world, he ends up in court. The judge sends him to a Mr. Hassler and his ranch to do community services. It is here that Sean learns to love unconditionally, and how to be responsible for everything he does. This book was very touching; especially when Sean learns to take care of his own foal Knicker. The story is based on an essay that Sean's English teacher assigns him about his hero. This essay challenges Sean to figure out what his hero should be like, and who fits that category. I loved reading this book, and it challenged my to think about my own heroes in my life today. It's no wonder that it was a South Carolina Young Adult Book Award!