Getting Air by Debra Oswald
It seems ages since I actually read and reviewed a book intended for an adolescent audience. But yesterday I gave up on my ‘official’ review workload and picked up this little gem for a quick read.
Zac is growing up in a dead end town somewhere in the empty regions of Australia. The nearest cinema is 90km away, as well as shops, swimming pool and most of all skatepark. But Zac and his friends have their own places around town to skate and as long as they rotate through them, there isn’t too much trouble. Zac and his best mate Corey dream of a skatepark for their own town, but it seems a hopeless dream until the school Good Girl gets involved in the issue. Corey teams up with Lauren and together they gather a team that eventually raises the funds necessary to build the skatepark. Then tragedy strikes.
This was a very good read. There is plenty of skateboard action as well as family drama. The characters have a strong realistic voice and the personal reactions to the tragedy ring very true.
I also liked the fact that the book is presented in large print. There are a lot of reluctant readers that should be attracted to this book and willing to see it through to the end.
