Race of the Radicals

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 Well, if you want it all , it's here. There's Alex, 12, a complete BMX-er. There's his inventive Dad, a violin-playing aerospace engineer. There's his Mom, a car-repairing BMX-announcer who has a Jackson Five thermos. There's his five-year-old brother Robinson, a novice BMX-er who says things like zip-doodly-squat, and Rosie, his six-year-old BMX-er sister. And his Mexican friend, Rennie. And pretty Addie. And bad guys, too. And of course, The Radical, the prototype bike designed by his dad. Well, the Rad gets stolen, and did Rennie do it or was it really the bad guys, and will they wreck the bike or steal the design, and will Alex's dad finally get angry about something, and will the Rad be found, and will Rennie's name be cleared, and will Alex win the championship and get a factory sponsor and. . . . Wheelie types may lap this up, but most will know enough about BMXing not to be taken in by this unbelievable fluff.Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, N.Y.