Surf Mules

June 8, 2009
Avid surfer Logan goes into a sudden tailspin when his recently estranged friend, Fin, dies in a freak surfing accident. Fin, Logan learns, had been a drug mule for Broza, a local marijuana dealer. Needing a replacement mule, Broza uses Logan's best friend, Z-boy—a goodhearted but impulsive high school dropout who wants to get rich fast so he can surf and get high—to lure Logan into taking the job. Hair shorn and “dressed like Republicans in suits and ties,” the two boys drive a marijuana-stocked car cross-country, through increasingly dangerous and ultimately tragic events. The short, high drama chapters may appeal particularly to older struggling readers, but Logan's agonized wrestling with morally ambiguous choices and his flawed yet appealing family and friends should find a wide audience. While a romantic subplot with surfer friend Emmie offers hopeful glimmers, the tortured but loving friendship between Logan and Z-boy proves poignant and heartbreaking. Ages 14–up.

June 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Neri's novel catches readers' interest on the very first page and propels them to the end in this intense, funny, and exciting read. Logan lives in Southern California. He is planning to graduate with his best friend, Z-boy, and then spend the summer catching killer waves before he goes off to college. All seems well until one of his friends dies surfing, Z-boy is not able to graduate, and he learns that his college fund has been frozen to cover his alcoholic father's debts. With the world drowning him faster than a killer wipe-out, Logan can't figure out how he can make money until Broza, the local pot dealer, offers him and Z-boy a cross-country trip to deliver marijuana in Florida, a journey that involves a number of life-threatening situations. Reluctant readers will be hooked on this fast-paced, interesting adventure. Difficult and realistic choices face all of the characters, making the story one that teenagers can relate to. There is drinking, strong language, some drug use, and sex, so this is best suited to an older audience, but it is a definite buy."Richard Winters, Wasco High School, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
Grades 10-1 California teen Logan senses that his surfer lifestyle is coming to an end. College costs are looming, and in the back of his mind is the fear that he will end up like his irresponsible surfer father.Given these pressures, the opportunityto make easy money by driving a load of marijuana to Florida with his goofy friend, Z-boy, proves irresistible. The tripis harrowing, however. A menacing carseems to be followingthe teens, and they encounter violent surfers in Texas. After they reach their destination, the situation becomes even more perilous.The drugs are handed over and the money is exchanged, but Loganrealizes that he has put himself in the middle of a high-stakes world where lives are endangered. Neri delivers a powerful story that doesnt flinch in its portrayal of the rough language of teenage boys or the far rougher world of drug dealers. Sometimes brutal, but always realistic, this will find an audience among teens looking for grittycontemporary fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)