  | Velocity Author: Wooding, Chris | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
Cassica and Shiara have grown up in Coppermouth, a dust choked town in the Outback, but now they hope to use their skills as race driver and mechanic to take on the Widowmaker, an off-road rally through some of the most dangerous places on Earth, to win fame and fortune--provided they survive the race.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG+ Reading Level: 5.70 Points: 12.0 Quiz: 189268 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 4.70 Points: 18.0 Quiz: 70219 | |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (11/15/16)
School Library Journal (12/01/16)
Booklist (12/01/16)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/02/17)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 12/01/2016 Gr 7 Up—Driver and tech duo Cassica and Shiara are the best racing team in Coppermouth, a tiny town in a postapocalyptic world not unlike that of Mad Max. The best friends' successes building and driving cars on the smaller circuits pique the interest of an agent, who offers them a chance to compete in the big leagues. Now with a sponsor, Cassica and Shiara might have what it takes to qualify for the biggest race of the year. But with better drivers and deadly Wreckers set on eliminating them, the girls must put their skills and friendship to the test to win, and even the smallest mistake might cost them their lives. This title blends the speed of NASCAR with the fight-to-the-death competition of The Hunger Games. The friction between Shiara's practical, safer analysis and Cassica's bolder gut reactions adds to the tension of the dangerous situations. References to the world beyond will heighten reader interest, but don't expect to get much information from or about the rest of the cast. The secondary characters have little development; many appear in just a single chapter or two. In addition, the wait between races can feel like being stuck at a red light, and there are few plot twists as payoff. Cassica and Shiara have great bantering dialogue, though, and are constantly the focus in an intriguing, if little-developed, setting. VERDICT Dystopian fans will relish a new, unexplored world, but they'll have to persevere through slow sections to get to the action.—Thomas Jonte, Horry County Memorial Library, SC - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 12/01/2016 Life in postapocalyptic Coppermouth is an endless stretch of killer dust and boredom, so when best friends and driving teammates Cassica and Shiara are offered the chance to compete in the Widowmaker, the final leg of the Maximum Racing competition, Cassica can’t wait. When their new manager is kidnapped because of gambling debts, and his ransom hinges on the girls winning the race, there’s no turning back. For their own part, winning the Widowmaker will get Cassica and Shiara to Olympus, a posh precataclysm neighborhood in the clouds. Everyone knows there is corruption in racing, and the two teen girls may lose their lives as they discover just how bad it is. This dystopian thrill ride is mostly heart-stopping racing episodes, with enough connective narrative to create two memorable main characters and evoke scenes from Mad Max. Wooding’s (Silver, 2014) female leads push this high-octane story’s appeal beyond the confines of a racing saga, and the language and situations will spark the interest of reluctant readers. Afterwards, send them to Danica Patrick’s Crossing the Line (2006). - Copyright 2016 Booklist.
