Homestretch

September 21, 2009
Five months after his beloved mother's death, 17-year-old Gaston Giambanco Jr., aka Gas, runs away from his Texas home and his drunken, racist father's escalating abuse. With no place to go, he winds up in a truck with three Mexicans headed to a racetrack in Arkansas. Gas inherited his hatred of “beaners” from his father, and it's intensified since one played a role in the traffic accident that killed his mother. Predictably, the skilled Mexican groomers turn out to be far more reliable than the racetrack boss, a corrupt trainer who falsifies Gas's ID papers to make him appear to be 18. Volponi (The Hand You're Dealt
) sacrifices plausibility for pacing as, within days of his arrival, Gas, a slight 105 pounds, is elevated from hot walker (responsible for cooling down horses after racing) to race jockey with absolutely no training. Like a six-furlong race, this one's over in a wink, but the healthy message about tolerance gives it some lasting power. Ages 12–up.

December 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Gaston's mother died a few months ago, and his dad has become a mean drunk. After one beating too many, the teen cleans out his father's wallet and takes off. He manages to hitch a ride on a flatbed, only to discover that he is stuck with a bunch of border-jumping "beaners." Gas's father's hatred for Mexicans only grew when the accident that killed his wife involved a couple of them, and Gas shares his prejudice. The men are heading to Arkansas to work at a racehorse farm, where Gas also gets a job with an unsavory, unethical trainer. He moves up from hot walker to jockey, endures the taunting and derision from the experienced jockeys, and takes a couple of bad falls. Along the way, he questions his hatred for the beaners, and finally comes to terms with his feelings and finds a place to call home. From the first page, Volponi is off and running, delivering a fast-paced book that will sustain the interest of reluctant readers. "Homestretch" is a sure winner."Debbie Rothfeld, Countryside High School, Clearwater, FL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2009
Grades 7-10 I didnt know who I hated or blamed, says high-school senior Gaston after his mother is killed by a cop car chasing an undocumented Mexican driver. Gas shares some of his fathers raging bigotry, particularly against the illegal involved in his mothers death. But after his fathers drinking and violent abuse become unbearable, Gas runs away, and its a group of young Mexicans who rescue him from the road and help him find room and board, as well as a job, at a horse track. Volponi covers horse racing for a variety of national publications, and he writes with an insiders precise knowledge of the behind-the-scenes world of the track, as well as the all-consuming thrill of riding to the finish line, all told in Gas realistic narration that includes both racial slurs and passages that read like rough poetry. As in some of his previous novels, Volponi deftly works plotlines about cultural prejudice and tough ethical choices into a tautly constructed story that will propel strong and reluctant readers alike to its aching yet hopeful conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)