Skateboard Blues by Sydell Voeller
by Sydell Voeller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publication Date: March 23, 2014
Publisher: Books We Love Ltd.
Genre: YA Romance, Coming of Age
Print Length: 94 pages
Available from: Amazon
July 2015 Update: For a complete list of buy links, please see the Books Page on this blogsite.ease check the Books Pages for the complete list of "buy links.")
Synopsis:
Jessica Williams wishes she were anywhere other than her small town in Oregon. All the kids there are the same except for the few skateboarders her father cannot stand. Life is pretty dull for Jessica until Cam Easton moves into her neighborhood. But when Cam teaches Jessica how to skate, and her father runs for mayor of Preston, her involvement with the skaters poses a threat to her father's campaign. Can the skateboarders prove themselves worthy of the community's support? And most of all, can Jessica and Cam resolve their differences and discover the true meaning of love?
My Review:Skateboard Blues by Sydell Voeller
My Rating: 5 Stars
So, I put on my Inner Tween hat and turned to page one ofSkateboard Blues by Sydell Voeller and the next thing I know, I’m finished, I’m smiling and, I admit, I would never want to be so young and so vulnerable again!
Jessica goes all “girly” over the new boy across the street and her younger sister reacts like any sibling, making being with Cam difficult and often embarrassing. Cam is unlike any boy she has ever known, worldly, intelligent, confident and a skateboarding expert. Too bad, skateboards are as welcome in her small town as rain is at the beach, all because of one incident that the town has never stopped talking about. With Jessica’s father running for mayor, she knows she is always under scrutiny, but the thrill of learning to skateboard and the chance to be with Cam is just too great of a pull. There is nowhere that allows them to skateboard, until a kindly priest opens his heart and an unused portion of the church parking lot if the kids provide the labor and materials to build their own half-pipe and ramps, but even this plan is thwarted. Meanwhile vandalism in town is being blamed on the skateboarders, but they claim innocence. So who is defiling buildings in town? Can the kids help discover the answer and clear themselves? A town meeting is in order as the kids lay out their carefully plotted plans for a skateboard park, land is donated by the city, but all financial responsibility belongs to the kids. Is their dream worth the time and effort to raise the money they need one dollar at a time? Will the town finally rally around their efforts with pride in the youth around them?
With great effort and dedication, these kids bring an entire town together, young and not-so-young, as everyone learns a lesson or two about mistaken assumptions and what being a community is all about.
It is so refreshing to find an author like Sydell Voeller who can wring every possible emotion out of her characters while allowing them to be “kids” who grow and experience a coming of age, a sense of pride and accomplishment and the blush of young love and friendship! Ms. Voeller has written for teens, tweens and even adults who don’t need to always have total in-depth details about everything. The focus was on the kids, particularly Jessica, who tells us this tale from her POV and Cam, who is almost dreamlike to her in so many ways. Ms. Voeller has spoken to every teen who has ever felt awkward or insecure, but has the drive to try to take on the world and be open to new adventures. Her ability to create visual scenes in my mind had me smelling the fall air, hearing the sounds of saws and seeing the kindness in a priest’s eyes. Beautifully written with strong role models for younger teens.
I received a review copy from Sydell Voeller in exchange for my honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment