Vertical
Skateboarder Josh Lowman witnesses one of the best skateboarders in town (the local bully) commit a crime. For days he agonizes over whether to tell anyone. Meanwhile, his friendships with a fellow skater (who is debating whether to drop out of school), a beautiful girl in his class (who loves to read, and seems to like Josh), and a cool math tutor (a college student who skates) slowly steer him toward a new kind of courage.
Josh has a mesmerizing narrator's voice; he rattles off a vacuous Valley-speak while slowly coming into his own, intellectually and morally. There is a hint of Holden Caufield about him. Vivid descriptions of skateboarding throughout the book will keep any skateboarder glued to the page. And a plot that rolls ahead constantly will maintain the reader's attention, while intermittently sneaking in a few lessons from English and math class, which serve to advance the story. (References to math in skateboard ramp design; plus small epiphanies from Lord of the Flies, Antigone, and Of Mice and Men.) Josh starts out as a school-hating dude and slowly comes around to seeing that he can skate and be smart . . . and a decent person.
Vertical will be loved by kids and by parents and teachers.
Publisher Name | Breakaway Books |
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Author Name | Hagendorf, Col |
Format | Audio |
Bisac Subject Major | JUV |
Language | NG |
Isbn 10 | 1891369989 |
Isbn 13 | 9781891369988 |
Target Age Group | min:11, max:15 |
Dimensions | 00.89" H x 00.05" L x 90.00" W |
Page Count | 128 |
Janet Berend has taught English and Creative Writing at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California for the past fifteen years