Clare Carlson is a senior at Duxbury High School in Massachusetts. She is captain of the girls’ ski racing and rowing teams. She is a part of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, as well as various other clubs. Her favorite subject in school is math, and she hopes to study business management in college. Outside of school, she loves to be out on the water in Duxbury Bay and also has a job at Benchwarmers Pizza, where she makes food and helps manage the store.
Q&A with Clare
What can kids learn from reading this book? From reading this book, kids can learn how easy it is to be sucked into drug abuse. Once you start using one substance, it very quickly becomes intriguing to try more.
How has your opinion of Taylor changed from the beginning of the series until the end of book 2? I don’t think my opinion of Taylor has changed because throughout both books one and two, it has always been clear that he wants to be better and turn his life around; he just needed a little motivation to get there.
How has your opinion of Chris changed since the beginning of the series? During book one, I thought that Chris was a bad influence on all of his friends and was growing up too fast in the absence of his parents. He was always the one to convince his friends to drink, among other things. After reading the second book, though, I got to understand his hard home life better, and now I sympathize with him more and the pain he feels from being neglected by his parents.
After reading books 1 & 2, are you rooting for Cathy to end up with Jason or Marc? After reading both books, I am rooting for Cathy to end up with Jason. From the start, I have always thought that they were a better match and had more in common. Apart from getting mixed up in using drugs together, they had a very strong and stable relationship. Marc seems like he is much more controlling and judgmental of Cathy’s past drug abuse, which can’t be good for her healing process.
What are your honest thoughts on Chris and Lisa’s relationship? Overall, I think that Chris and Lisa were good together, and I think that Lisa would have been able to help Chris get sober. However, I also think that by the end it was a little bit toxic, and they made the mature decision to take time apart until Chris bettered himself on his own.
Who are your two favorite characters so far in the series, and why? My two favorite characters so far are Jason and Cathy because I think they very accurately represent typical boy/girl relationships and teenage lives, which makes them easy to relate to.
Book Review
Gripped Part 2: Blindsided by Stacy A. Padula is an exciting and emotional book that kept me interested from beginning to end. The story picks up where book one left off and follows the characters as they deal with friendships, relationships, sports, and difficult choices. I enjoyed how the characters felt realistic and how their problems showed that even people who seem to have everything together can struggle with pressure and uncertainty. The book also does a great job of building suspense, making me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
Overall, I really enjoyed Gripped Part 2 because it incorporates drama, friendship, and sports in a way that makes the story easy to connect with. The author does a great job showing how the characters grow and change as they face new challenges. The book has many emotional moments and surprises that make the story memorable, while also teaching lessons about trust, loyalty, and making responsible decisions. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy realistic young-adult stories with strong friendships, drama, and unexpected events.
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