About Snocross: A Winter Sports Action Book About Snowmobile Racing (90-minute Short Reads) (Young Adult Coming of Age Book) by L.S. Aksomitis:
In this fast reads, extreme sports action and adventure fiction for young adults, Shawn Riggs, 16, must decide just how far he’ll go to win on and off the snowmobile race track.High school student, Shawn Riggs, wants just two things in life–to be part of the popular crowd in high school and to become the next snocross national junior race champion with his snowmobile. When he heads off to the season opener race event in Duluth, he finds himself stuck in a situation that could wipe the chances for both right off the map. He’s just moved in with Dad’s new family to switch from the Canadian Snowcross circuits to the World Power Sports Association (WPSA) events in the US. So, he’s starting over making friends in a new school and it’s far from easy. Peer pressure or not, when local football jock, Cole Ackerman, handed around bottles of beer and challenged everyone to chug them down, he couldn’t say no. Then, Ackerman gets himself and his dad invited along to Duluth. Plus, Dad agrees to stop in Winnipeg to pick up Jacqui Deville, the girl who beat him out of last year’s season high point awards, and her snowmobile. In this coming of age book, Shawn is faced with some tough decisions both on and off the race track. The action is non-stop in Duluth with lots of snowmobiling in this extreme winter sports young adult book. A 90-minute short reads book, this fast paced novel takes readers of all ages behind the scenes at a WPSA snocross race, including photos from the actual Duluth season opener for the 2005-2006 season. Snocross is a perfect young adult book for boys looking for a page turner book that’s high interest low vocabulary. CHAPTER 6The flagman looked at me and waved his green flag. It felt like it took all the strength I had just to press the trigger to move. My body was a giant shiver. Even my teeth chattered.I took the groove in the first corner, going in slow and coming out faster. But, it wasn’t fast enough for the other sleds on the test lap. Two red sleds zipped past me.In another second, I was headed up the hill for corner two. Jacqui’s Ski-Doo pulled up beside mine. Side by side we spun around. Whoosh and we had air, like twin yellow birds taking off. Thump, and we both hit halfway down the hill. I didn’t like the way the MXZ was handling. Jacqui pulled ahead and I let her go. By the tabletop I was already in her snowdust. I took it easy, looking for a line. The switchback at corners three and four were tighter. Jacqui was already exiting four when I started into three.Another few sleds roared past me, but I didn’t care. The front end of my sled was pushing in the sticky snow, not doing what I wanted. Had I damaged something in that rollover last week?I needed to get up to speed. I hit the trigger and fishtailed. The backside moguls came on me quick, before I was ready.Airborne. Landed. Flying. The handlebars almost ripped out of my hands. Thump. Landed again. Bumped by another sled. Snowdust on my visor.Good speed. My breathing was even again—this was racing. I shot towards the outside of corner two. Then I saw it.Jacqui’s sled was on its hood. Where was she?I hammered the brakes. Leapt off and left the MXZ rolling ahead. My boots sunk knee deep in the mushy snow. I floundered.Jacqui was underneath the sled. Her bright orange helmet lay still against the white snow.
Buy the book: