Bicky and Miles can’t stand each other. Although they went to the same primary school, they were never friends. Bicky, according to Miles, thinks he is a legend because he dresses tough and his dad drives a V8 ute. Miles, according to Bicky, is a snob and a wuss because he goes to boarding school and his dad drives a four-wheel drive. It doesn’t help that Miles’ father is Bicky’s father’s boss.
But Bicky and Miles do have something in common. They both like to box at the local youth club. When a sparring session in the ring becomes too heated, Terry, who runs the youth club, offers to umpire them in a real boxing match. He even offers to bring proper red boxing gloves for them both. Both boys wax lyrical about their own strengths and their opponent’s weaknesses. They invent wilder and wilder descriptions of their opponents, trying to ignore their nervousness. On the day of the fight, Bicky and Miles have to wait together in the change room while Terry tries to locate the missing gloves.
The Red Boxing Gloves, by David Metzenthen, from Word Weavers Press, is another Quick Reads title aimed fairly and squarely at boys who’d rather be out kicking a ball, or hitting a punching bag. This is a fast moving story, with more than a touch of humour, told alternately from the point of view of the two main characters. It is sure to capture the target reader.
The Red Boxing Gloves, by David Metzenthen
Word Weavers Press 2002