It took awhile for this story to take off for me, in part because I did not find the boys' personalities distinctive enough to remember whose voice was narrating a given chapter. Fans of books told in alternating perspectives (a la "Flipped") may enjoy this one.

Mick and Boot are sworn enemies for as long as they can remember. For
some reason they just can't stand each other. It's only September 8th
and they have had two fights at school already. Instead of suspending
them again,the new principal requires them to come in during class and
lunch and play board games. Relations continue to be prickly and the
animosity climaxes in a game of dare in front of their classmates. Mick's
dare is to splash red paint on the public library, his beloved hangout,
and Boot's dare is to shoplift an instrument from a music store run by
his closest friend. In alternating chapters (Mick's Turn, Boot's Turn)
we see their differing perspectives on the situation and how their
troubled home lives impact them. As the boys get to know each other, a sort of truce takes place
( )

Heavy, realistic. Told in alternating chapters by the boys who are forced to play Games. Dysfunctional families. ( )

Mick Sullivan and Boot Quinn have been enemies for quite some time, and now they have a new principal who believes in solving problems differently. Thus, for two periods a day, they must come to the office, and sit in a room together and play board games until they can figure out how to get along. At first, it makes them angrier, and they challenge each other to a series of dares based on the things that are most important to each of them. They also both have a crush on Tabitha, who is secretly taking bets on how their daily games and dares will turn out. Both boys have issues at home: Mick is a constant disappointment to his dad since he doesn't like sports, and motherless Boot is often knocked around by his father and older brother. Told from both Mick's and Boot's point of view, the story is realistic and interesting, with great characters. ( )

This book is about a two boys who have hated each other for almost all their life. They get into a fight and the new principal makes them play games until they can get along. They find out new things about each other and make new discoveries. This book is a good book and i suggest everone to read. ( )

Mick Sullivan and Boot Quinn have been enemies since the day they first met. They have had countless fist fights and have already been suspended once in the first month of their eighth grade year. Mick Sullivan is big for his age which make people think he likes to fight way more than he does. Actually, Mick likes to read more than anything else. He considers the library his second home. Mick's father is constantly trying to get him to be tougher and get him involved in sports, but Mick just doesn't enjoy them. Boot doesn't have many friends. He likes to play the guitar and wants to someday be in a band. His biggest goal for the day is to give Mick a hard time by teasing him about his father who has a drinking problem. Both boys have difficult home lives that they really keep hidden from everyone else. They also like Tabitha Slater, the most popular girl in the eighth grade. Things start to change when a new principal comes to the school. After their latest fight, instead of suspending them again, he assigns the boys to come to the office to play games for an hour every day. This extra time together, without adult supervision, leads to some heated exchanges and ultimately some extremely devastating consequences for both Mick and Boot. While cooperation and civility don't happen in the traditional sense, they do start to learn about each other. Carol Gorman, the author of the Dork in Disguise series, takes us on the emotional rollercoaster of middle school where what your friends think is what drives the majority of your decisions and with most people there is more than meets the eye. ( )