{"product_id":"vertical-paperback-1","title":"Vertical - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJanet Eoff Berend\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eJanet Berend has taught English and Creative Writing at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California for the past fifteen years \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 128\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 28, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42700606570559,"sku":"9781891369988","price":15.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/45e69019f472a3dd49bc31672fb99260.webp?v=1765017429","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/vertical-paperback-1","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}