In the Break (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: In the Break Cindy Welch Lopez, Jack In the Break. Little, 2006 [208p] ISBN 0-316-00874-5$16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12 After family tensions escalate into a fistfight that leaves Jamie's stepfather unconscious and Jamie on the run, the fifteen-year-old California surfer dude and his best friend, Juan, "borrow" Juan's mother's car and head south with Jamie's sister, Amber. What begins as flight from trouble quickly becomes a chance to find the perfect wave and, for Juan, a little romance with Amber. Juan's friendship with Jamie, his crush on Amber, and the lure of the surf subvert his intentions of getting himself and the car quickly back home; instead the three fugitives travel to Mexico, where a fisherman boats them to a remote island with dolphins that play alongside the teens as they surf. The idyll ends when Jamie goes out at the end of the day for one more ride, but neither rider nor board return; Juan and Amber are left to deal with their loss as well as the fallout from their trip. Juan and Jamie's fecklessness in light of Jamie's physical exchange with his stepfather (who might be seriously injured or even dead) may be a little surprising, but teens dreaming of escaping parental authority will dive right into the narrative's don't-look-back energy. While the two-dimensional adult characters do little more than help move the plot along, narrator Juan is well rounded, and Jamie and Amber are written with enough depth [End Page 506] for readers to care about their fates. Lopez pays as much attention to surfing as to character development, in a treatment reminiscent of the sports novels of James W. Bennett or Carl Deuker, and even landlocked teens will soon find their sea legs and enjoy the ride. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois