Last Ride

by Laura Langston

Overview

He killed his best friend, Logan, in a street-racing accident a year ago. As he tries to make amends to Logan's girlfriend and keep his promise to never race again, Tom is haunted by his dead friend. He thinks Logan is trying to tell him something. Not only that, since he faces huge medical bills from the accident and may have to give up his car, the pressure to race is almost unbearable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554699650
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2011
Series:	Orca Soundings Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	555 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Laura Langston is the award–winning author of over fifteen books for children and young adults. A former journalist with the CBC, Laura also writes non-fiction for such publications as Canadian Gardening magazine. Follow her on Twitter @LauraLangston.

Read an Excerpt

I killed my best friend. Thirteen months and six days ago.
Not on purpose. It was an accident. Even the cops wrote it up that way. But if I hadn't dared Logan to race he'd still be alive.
Sometimes I swear I see him. Out of the corner of my eye. Just a glimpse. Like he's haunting me.

That accident…I think about it every day. And most nights too.

Editorial Reviews

"Relatable issues and the story is clearly told. "

Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children's Media

"[Langston] piles on the narrative stresses with chapter-by-chapter efficiency…A satisfying ride."

Booklist

"Langston's prose is quick and well-paced without losing the complexity of a solid story. Tom is an engaging, likeable character with whom teens will be able to identify...Tom's struggle to reconcile his past mistakes and face the consequences is a lesson that everyone has to go through in life, and Last Ride shows that it is possible to face off against these consequences without compromising integrity."

www.keenreaders.org

"There is much to this slim novel and it works well without preaching or endangering its creditability. That teens often misinterpret events around them and often blame themselves when there is no blame is explored and answered in this book with enough veracity to warrant a recommendation, or maybe even a second reading."

Resource Links

"A novel about choices. It also touches on the aftermath of a tragedy and relationships...Langston is able to intertwine these elements in a page-turner with a surprise decision. An interesting read. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"[Langston] piles on the narrative stresses with chapter-by-chapter efficiency…A satisfying ride."

Booklist

"Langston's prose is quick and well-paced without losing the complexity of a solid story. Tom is an engaging, likeable character with whom teens will be able to identify...Tom's struggle to reconcile his past mistakes and face the consequences is a lesson that everyone has to go through in life, and Last Ride shows that it is possible to face off against these consequences without compromising integrity."

keenreaders.org

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The Horn Book Guide

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

School Library Journal