Last Ride. (Orca Soundings). Laura Langston. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2011. 130 pp., pbk. & hc., $9.95 (pbk.), $16.95 (hc.). ISBN 978-1-55469-416-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-55469-417-4 (hc.). Grades 7-10 / Ages 12?15. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

How can I sleep with Ray's threat hanging over me? With Lansky's phone call?

I whirl around. Logan!

But there's only empty space in front of me. And the faint, unmistakable scent of the cherry Twizzlers he loves to chew.

My fingers are shaking so much it takes me three tries to start up the computer. Need for Speed 2 is a poor substitute for the kind of racing I want to do, but it will stop me from imagining things. It'll keep me busy. And awake. Which means Logan won't be able to invade my dreams.

Laura Langston in Last Ride creates a story about a 16-year-old named Tom Shields whose love of racing cost him a friend and almost his own life. He has trouble dealing with the death of his friend and keeping the promise he made not to race again.

      Last Ride is not a book about racing but about the consequences that one has to live with when decisions are made. In short, it is a novel about choices. It also touches on the aftermath of a tragedy and relationships. In this short time, the main character, although 16, has lived a lifetime of experiences. He struggles as anyone his age would, with inner conflicts, but these feelings run deep. Langston is able to intertwine these elements in a page-turner with a surprise decision.

      An interesting read.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike is the principal of St. Paul's Junior High in St. John's, NL.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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