Overdrive. (Orca Soundings). Eric Walters. Vancouver, BC: Orca, 2004. 102 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 1-55143-318-4. Subject Headings: Drag racing-Juvenile fiction. Traffic accidents-Juvenile fiction. Grades 7 and up / Ages 12 and up. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4

excerpt:

"Come on, come on." The light changed to green. I popped the clutch and stomped down on the accelerator. The car jumped forward and I felt myself being pressed back into the seat. The sound of squealing tires, engines roaring, the CD blaring and Mickey yelling deafened me. The car rocketed across the intersection. I glanced at the side-view mirror...he'd hardly gotten off the line and I was pulling farther and farther away! I pushed down on the brakes. This race was over and done.

"You blew his doors off!" Mickey screamed. "No contest, man! No contest!"

As I looked at Mickey , the BMW shot past in a black blur.

"What an idiot!" I yelled. "The race is over and he lost! Look at him keep going."

"Look out!" Mickey screamed.

Overdrive by Eric Walters focuses on 16-year-old Jake and his first experience driving with his driver's license. Borrowing his brother's car, Jake, along with his friend Mickey, visits all the "hot" spots. Things are going smoothly until Jake and Mickey meet Luke who is out driving in his father's BMW. Challenged by Luke to street race, Jake waits impatiently for the light to change and then hits the accelerator. He wins the race, but the price is too high.

     Writing in the first person, Walters captures the heart and spirit of the 16-year-old first time driver through Jake, the stereotypical teenage boy, who wants to be cool and drive a cool car. The storyline is believable because the accident is a realistic portrayal of what can happen when one reacts without first thinking. Instead of making the accident the central focus, however, Walters chooses to shift the attention to Jake and his attempts to come to terms with his part in the accident. This is more than a story about street racing; it is about responsibility and accepting the consequences of one's actions. It is a story about growing up.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike is presently seconded to the Department of Education, Newfoundland as a Test Consultant.

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

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