The Car

Gr 7–10—After Terry's parents desert him, he puts together a kit car, a Blakesley Bearcat, and heads west in Gary Paulsen's novel (Harcourt, 1994). Intending to travel from Cleveland, Ohio, to Portland, Oregon, to find his uncle, he meets up with Tom Wayland and Wayne, hitchhiking Vietnam veterans. The pair teaches Terry about "trucking" as they visit various places in the Midwest, and Terry finds himself learning more than he'd ever imagined. Ostensibly a road trip story, Paulsen deftly weaves in deeper themes of the consequences of war, the meaning of family, and finding oneself. Luke Daniels's narration brings Wayland's troubled gruffness and Wayne's laidback biker drawl to life, as well as Paulsen's vivid descriptions of Terry's stick-shift driving. Excellent for teens to listen to on long summer trips.—Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY