In the Break - Hardcover

Lopez, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316008745 ISBN 13: 9780316008747

Verlag: Little, Brown Young Readers, 2006

Inhaltsangabe

After Juan's best friend Jamie is faced with major family drama, they decide to skip town until the situation cools down and go to Mexico in search of the perfect wave. Joined by Jamie's sister Amber, the three of them embark on a road trip of a lifetime. Filled with love, loss, and surfing, Jack Lopez delivers a story as intense as catching the ultimate wave.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jack Lopez grew up in Southern California and was immensely influenced by the burgeoning surf culture. As a teen he surfed in the U.S Open Championships in Huntington Beach as well as in Baja California and mainland Mexico. He has an MFA degree from the writing program at the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of Cholos & Surfers: A Latino Family Album (a memoir), and Snapping Lines (a story collection), and is a professor of English at Cal State Northridge, where he teaches creative writing. This is his first novel for young adults.

Rezensionen

Grade 9 Up–Tenth graders Jamie and Juan are best friends who live to surf. When Jamie gets into trouble for beating up his abusive stepfather, his older sister, Amber, runs to Juan for help. Juan decides to drive from California to his aunt's trailer in Mexico, where his friend can stay until things cool down. He steals his mother's car, and the three teens embark on a wild road trip that results in a tragedy that changes their lives forever. Although the writing is uneven at times, the mood and emotions ring true, and the fast-paced plot holds readers' attention throughout. The characters are realistically drawn, and their relationships are complex, even though the dialogue can be stilted at times. Street language and sexual situations are presented in a matter-of-fact manner. Teens will identify with Juan and the choices, both good and bad, that he makes in order to help his friend.–Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FollowingCholos and Surfers (1998), a collection of personal essays published for adults, Lopez's debut novel for teens is set in the same Southern California surf culture. After his best friend, Jamie, gravely wounds his abusive stepfather in a fight, 15-year-old Juan takes his mother's car and drives Jamie down the California coast. Amber, Jamie's beautiful sister, joins them, and what was intended to be a short trip to gain perspective turns into a wild, soul-searching surfing expedition, running from the consequences of Jamie's actions and toward the perfect wave. This feels like a first novel: flashback scenes aren't always well integrated, and the voice is occasionally self-conscious and uneven. The language is sometimes trash-talk rough, too, as the guys trade off-color jokes. But these details, along with some sex scenes (nongratuitous) contribute to Lopez's authentic view of teen boys precariously balanced between childhood and adult life. The real draw, though, is the surfing, and Lopez, who has surfed competitively, offers a rare awe-inspiring feeling of riding the waves. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2006
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0316008745
• ISBN 13: 9780316008747
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
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