Last Ride

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