The Accident

by Todd Strasser

Overview

Everyone had been drinking that snowy night when Chris's car plunged into the ravine. Luckily, Matt hadn't gone with the group. Now four of his friends are dead. Only Jason survives.



Everyone blames Chris for the tragedy, and Matt doesn't like the way people talk about him and harass his family. Matt suspects there's something fishy about the investigation that followed the accident. Was it another case of drunk driving? Or was something more at stake? Matt is determined to uncover the truth, but no one is talking. What really happened that night?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780595396528
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/28/2006
Pages:	196
Sales rank:	650,487
Product dimensions:	5.04(w) x 8.12(h) x 0.49(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 130 books for teens and middle graders including The Diving Bell and the Help! I’m Trapped In … series, as well as numerous award-winning YA novels including The Accident, The Wave, Give A Boy A Gun, Boot Camp, and If I Grow Up. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and several have been adapted into feature films. He has also written for television, newspapers, and magazines such as The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times. His most recent novel is the YA thriller, Blood on My Hands.

Editorial Reviews

Matt and his best friend Bobby attend a party at Chris's house. Everyone is drinking, and when Bobby invites Matt to drive to a ski house, Matt feels nauseous and refuses. Bobby, Chris, Jason and two girls take Chris's truck and drive several miles before they have a fatal accident. Four of the five teens are killed; only Jason survives. Chris, who has a reputation for drinking and dealing drugs, is immediately blamed. However, Matt is convinced there is unseen aspect of the accident, and he is determined to expose it. Strasser conveys significant messages without condescending to his readers. His depiction of the teens and the accident is realistic and unsensationalized. While at times the plot is contrived and therefore lacks potency, the story will trigger emotions in its readers. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 6-9 Eighteen-year-old Matt Thompson's close friend, Bobby Stewart, the son of a rich philanthropist and the nephew of a popular candidate for governor, dies with three other classmates in a late night auto accident following a drinking party. News reports blame Matt's neighbor, Chris Walsh, who was also killed in the accident, because he was a known alcoholic. But Matt, tipped off about the blood alcohol counts of the four dead teenagers, begins to suspect that all is not what it appears to be. With the help of the only black policemen on the town force and Chris' younger brain-damaged sister, Matt uncovers the truth. There's a big catch, however, and Matt must decide whether to tell the truth or keep quiet. Amidst the didactic lessons about racism on the police force and drunk driving, Strasser raises the questions of whether the end justifies the means and the importance of the public's right to have information. Except for Matt, the characters are wooden and read their lines to fit the issue-laden plot. Like The Wave (Delacorte, 1981) , which Strasser wrote under a pseudonym, this story is more effective as a discussion stimulator than as a credible adventure-mystery. Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego

School Library Journal - School Library Journal

American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
Edgar Allan Poe nominee (Mystery Writers of America)
New York Library Books for the Teen Age

Awards Awards