Imitate the Tiger

The senior at Valley View High, Christopher Serbro was given away when he was a little boy to his Aunt Catherine by his father who was a low paid alcoholic that didn't know how to take care of his children. His mother's death was too much to handle for his father. Before Christopher's mother died, Chris's father was in the military. That's all he knew how to do. He would go to work drunk, come home drunk, and when his wife died one day, he didn't know what to do.
Chris is an athlete. Chris plays football for the Valley View High team. He loves football because it's the only way he can get away from his problems such as his father, and Chris's ex girlfriend leaving him for someone else. Chris just likes to run away. He doesn't know how to control his feelings, and his abuse of alcohol. He doesn't know how to control his thirst for alcohol and he blames everything on his father. When Chris does drink, and people remind him that he drinks too much he tells them that he isn't an alcoholic like his father. Deep down inside he knows they are right about his drinking habits. Christopher's friends are not the best in the world, sometimes but there are there.
The audience should read this book because it's a good learning experience about a boy becoming a man that has alcoholic problems in his life. To learn how Chris to control his anger and his family. Suddenly he doesn't know whom to trust because he has no friends. What he's feeling when he is alone at home or when someone hit's him he doesn't know how to react he wants to hit them back because reflexes tells him to but he doesn't know what to do. Chris is an emotional boy that cry's when he get hits but that's him he just doesn't know how to handle things he wasn't brought up in a life that was loveable life so when he cry's he wants someone to hold him, and love him but no ones there.
Chris is an American citizen that lives in the United States. He lives with his Aunt Catherine in an old house. Chris goes to school at Valley View High School.


My review   March 24, 2003
Chris Serbo is a senior in high school that is faced with the problem that is ruining his life, alcohol. In Imitate The Tiger by Jan Cheripko he is desperately trapped in a deep hole that he cannot get out of, for he lost his girlfriend, his grades are dropping, and his relationship with his aunt is deteriorating.
He lives with his aunt because his mother is dead and his father is a drunk in the army and can't be there for him. Chris plays football for love from his coach, John Popano and his best friend Billy Krovats and his friend Polly play a big role in that they are there for Chris when he needs to talk about his problems. The only way he can disappear out of the trap is the wonderful feeling of hitting someone in football or the great sensation of getting drunk, but he doesn't quite understand what alcohol is doing to him. He thinks he has control over his life but through the book he learns the truth about himself.
I believe that many teenagers could relate to the situations Chris is dealt with and the enjoyment comes from how Chris is finding himself and how it all ends up. I believe it is a great book and to me it seems like Chris Serbo is a real kid in a real world.


Imitate the Tiger   March 24, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Imitate the Tiger

The book that I recently read was Imitate the Tiger written by Jan Cheripko. The story main character is Chris Serbo, a senior at Valley View High. Chris loves football and is athletic, but he likes to drink too much. He faces many conflicts and obstacles when he starts drinking constantly. He slowly changes and starts to lose all his loved ones. Since his mother died and his father wasn't capable of keeping Chris, he lives with his Aunt Catherine. He comes in drunk just about every night, but it is just a normal life for Chris until he makes the wrong decision. Now he is trying to find his way out of this horrible nightmare. His grades are starting to drop if he doesn't shape up he might fail school, and get kicked out of the house. Chris also is trying to play in the championship game he has little time, and very small choices on what to do with life, but the night of the school dance ignites all of his problems. He has to come face to face with his fears to save everything he loves.

Mrs. Whittaker, Chris' teacher at Valley View High is trying to understand why Chris is changing. He is a good student, but when his grades start dropping she is a mission to see what's up. She thinks Chris is drinking but doesn't have any proof. Chris thinks that she is out to get him, but he find out that she is trying to help. He has two decisions, and time is running out fast. He has to race against the clock to turn his life around and I think time has just run out.

I think this book was great. I really liked how the author made the story actually come to life, I felt like I was in the story. It shows me a description on how a senior's life is. It also tells people about drinking, you shouldn't do it or you could lose everything that you love. I recommend this book to all people who like sports and that like books with many tragic conflicts. Anyone who likes to actually get into a story should read this. It gives you great pictures in your mind on a senior's life that plays football and drinks. It also can get you into different mood swings like when he gets beat up, you feel mad and when he broke up with his girlfriend you feel sorry for him.