{"product_id":"9781891369988","title":"Vertical","description":"\u003cp\u003eSkateboarder Josh Lowman witnesses one of the best skateboarders in town (the local bully) commit a crime. For days he agonizes over whether to tell anyone. Meanwhile, his friendships with a fellow skater (who is debating whether to drop out of school), a beautiful girl in his class (who loves to read, and seems to like Josh), and a cool math tutor (a college student who skates) slowly steer him toward a new kind of courage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJosh has a mesmerizing narrator's voice; he rattles off a vacuous Valley-speak while slowly coming into his own, intellectually and morally. There is a hint of Holden Caufield about him. Vivid descriptions of skateboarding throughout the book will keep any skateboarder glued to the page. And a plot that rolls ahead constantly will maintain the reader's attention, while intermittently sneaking in a few lessons from English and math class, which serve to advance the story. (References to math in skateboard ramp design; plus small epiphanies from \u003ci\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAntigone\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOf Mice and Men\u003c\/i\u003e.) Josh starts out as a school-hating dude and slowly comes around to seeing that he can skate and be smart . . . and a decent person.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eVertical\u003c\/i\u003e will be loved by kids and by parents and teachers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Breakaway Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47043644883184,"sku":"9781891369988","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781891369988_p0.jpg?v=1763608799","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781891369988","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}