True Vert

by Janet Eoff Berend

Overview

True Vert picks up where Vertical left off, though True Vert also stands on its own quite well. In this coming-of-age story, fifteen-year-old Josh Lowman earns a spot as a pro skateboarder on the Alpha Dog Skate Kru team. With the help of washed-up skate legend Dave McSteel, Josh pushes the limits of what's humanly possible on a skateboard.

Every kid in America who skates dreams of being sponsored, and the experience transforms Josh. He's living the dream, he's cool, an Alpha Dog skater; but he starts to lose focus on the things that truly matter. His goal is to impress Erin, but he's so caught up in the pro skater thing that Erin and the rest of his old friends don't want to be around him. And he's not sure if his new friends are even friends at all.

Dirk Davies, the ambitious owner of Alpha Dog Skate Company, isn't satisfied. Hungry for even more corporate sponsors, Dirk persuades Josh to skate the most treacherous ramp of all, and now Josh has to decide what he's willing to risk to maintain his spot on the Alpha Dog team.

True Vert offers a glimpse into the dog-eat-dog world of professional skateboarding and takes the reader along for a wild ride as Josh discovers that it takes as much courage to drop into the Mega Ramp as it does to stay true to oneself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621240242
Publisher:	Breakaway Books
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	11 - 15 Years

About the Author

Janet Eoff Berend: Janet Berend has taught English and Creative Writing at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California for the past fifteen years

Table of Contents

1—Opposite Ends of the Same Situation
2—Calculated Risks
3—Jerks and Phonies
4—Dog-Eat-Dog Competition
5—Sudden Death
6—Contracts
7—Phase Change
8—Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Skater
9—Secrets
10—Control and Timing
11—Secret Weapon
12—MORP
13—The Wrong Guy
14—Alpha Dogs
15—Invisible
16—Alpha Loyalty
17—Huge
18—The Most Important Words
19—Second Chances
20—Gravity
21—Choices
22—Stickers
23—Man of My Word
24—All Except One

Editorial Reviews

“Janet Berend crushes it yet again with True Vert. A must read for any skate rat in the classroom! She keeps me turning pages with an action-packed book that I can relate to my own life in a lot of ways. Preparing for contests, overcoming fears, big ramps, and girls. I might have to read it again . . . for the fourth time. THANK YOU FOR THE RAD BOOK.” —Mitchie Brusco

"Tug your helmet strap tight and focus on the drop, because Janet Eoff Berend’s True Vert leaves the coping at breakneck speed, scoops the tail, then just soars. Rising star Josh Lowman has to figure out what, if anything, is more important to him than skating—and what, if anything, is more terrifying than an eight-story mega-ramp. There’s a girl (of course), and plenty of fast food and even faster drops. True Vert is—well, it’s vert. And it’s true."
—Arthur Salm, author of Anyway

“Janet Eoff Berend’s second novel, True Vert, is a story that offers an intimate view of the skateboarding world. True Vert’s fast-paced, action-packed narrative will engage both avid and reluctant readers, and especially teens interested in skateboarding. It would be an excellent addition to school and classroom libraries.”
—Paul Greci, author of Surviving Bear Island

From the Publisher