Last Ride

April 1, 2011

Gr 7-9-Logan died in an accident that occurred when Tom challenged him to a car race. More than a year later, Tom, 16, is haunted by his best friend. He smells cherry Twizzlers, Logan's favorite, and sees him out of the corner of his eye. He thinks Logan is trying to tell him something, but what? Tom struggles not only with Logan's ghosts, but also with his feelings toward his girlfriend and his promise that he will stop racing. With his huge medical bills because of two operations, his mom about to lose the house, and his boss threatening to take his beloved car because he's in debt to him, Tom is having a hard time saying no to racing and the money it could bring in. Good books with the topic of car racing and street racing are few and far between-Will Weaver's Saturday Night Dirt (Farrar, 2008) comes to mind-so this is a welcome addition for reluctant readers. The title and cover, with lights and a partial face in the rear-view mirror, will also attract them.-Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2011
Grades 5-8 Street racing used to be 16-year-old Toms passionuntil the night his best friend, Logan, was killed in a friendly race turned deadly. Now Toms navigating a life lived at regular speeds, forced to endure being called a wuss and taunted by his repair-shop boss, whos going to possess Toms beloved ride unless Tom pays for fixing up the carthe kind of money he can only make by racing. Langston has a good feel for the adrenaline rush of being behind the wheel of a souped-up racer, and she indulges in showier prose than most titles in the Orca Soundings series: Im in the zone. At one with my steel shell. She also piles on the narrative stresses with chapter-by-chapter efficiency: the medical bills from Toms accident are crushing his family; the girl Tom likes will hate him if he races again; Logans little sister wants Tom to attend a memorial; and Logans ghost might just be haunting Tom. Theres never much doubt where this is heading, but it is nevertheless a satisfying ride.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)