I thought I was a bit too critical of the rollerblading hi-lo book, so I decided to try a few more in the series. They are quick, easy reads which is still just right for me, I have to admit. I picked up another half-dozen (the series has over twenty) all regarding sports I’m at least a little familiar with. I don’t skateboard myself, but I’ve used skate parks, and some of the terms for tricks and maneuvers are the same for skateboarding and quad skating. A manual is balancing on just the front or back wheels, for example. So I could usually picture what the kids were talking about, even when I didn’t know all the terms. Some of them are explained in the glossary, and interestingly enough there’s a little author bio in the back that features the ghostwriter, not Maddox (and it’s a different writer than for the other book). This one I felt was a little better. There were only a few parts where the dialog felt unbelievable (when an older sibling was hinting the main character to do something). I thought the writing was pretty smooth, and the story had enough interest.
It’s about a girl, her older brother and friend, who all like to skateboard. They usually practice tricks and new skills on their driveway, because the closest skate park is far away, so they don’t get to go often. But the father is on the local city council, and when a proposal comes up for a skate park to be built in their town, he gets the kids involved. They are very excited about the prospects and draw up sketches of all the features they think a good skate park should have. Some of the council members are skeptical that the park would get enough use to be worth the cost. So the kids come up with a very good plan- to interview all the people they find who would use a local skate park. Kids they see at the far away park from their own town, kids at school they know who skateboard, moms in the neighborhood with younger kids on scooters, etc. So a big part of the story is about that, them organizing proof that enough people want this feature, and I thought that would be rather boring, but it actually wasn’t. The rest of the story is about the main character trying to learn a new skill, falling many times, getting tips on technique from older skaters, seeing her friend try something in the bowl (also getting coaching and attempting it again when she falls the first time), and then sustaining an injury so she has to take time off skating. That’s hard. But she uses her downtime to work on the proposal for the upcoming council meeting. In the end, the kids’ evidence of enough local interest is convincing, the skate park is built, and our trio of kids is there on opening day to try it out. The girl finally nails her rail slide (with just a little wobble on the landing) in front of the camera. Overcoming all the difficulties and frustrations, with a good ending.
Borrowed from the public library.
