Skate

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Description

Michael Harmon offers an authentic and tough new skateboarder narrator for teen guy readers. Skate sounds gritty, and it is. But for all the hard subjects it takes on (a parent's drug addiction, abandonment, rage, punching a teacher), it's an emotional and nuanced story of the bond between two brothers in search of family. And the dialogue is fast, spot-on, and often very funny. Now in paperback, Skate was Michael Harmon's debut, and it's a stunner. It's hard to believe he's not a full-time writer; Harmon runs two businesses and writes on the side when he can. Michael Harmon met Chris Crutcher (they live in the same city), and Crutcher quickly became his writing mentor as soon as he read his work. This paperback edition is timed with Mike's next novel for young adults on the Knopf list. There's not much keeping Ian McDermott in Spokane, but at least it's home. He's been raising Sammy practically on his own ever since their mom disappeared again on one of her binges. They get by, finding just enough to eat and plenty of time to skateboard. But at Morrison High, Ian is getting the distinct, chilling feeling that the administration wants him and his board and his punked hair gone. Simply gone. And when his temper finally blows-he actually takes a swing at Coach Florence and knocks him cold-Ian knows he's got to grab Sammy and skate. Run. Their search for the one relative they can think of, their only hope, leads Ian and Sammy across the entire state of Washington in the cold and rain-and straight into a shocking discovery. Through it all, Ian knows exactly what he has to do- protect Sammy, and let no one split up their family of two. Michael Harmon tells a nuanced and unflinching story of wilderness survival, the fierce bond between brothers, and teen rage-and redemption.

Reviews

Readers will continue to cheer for this outsider who finds lifes deck stacked against him. . . . A must-read for fans of Chris Crutcher.The Bulletin

[A] remarkable first novel.Kirkus Reviews

Harmon compellingly renders wary, brittle Ian, particularly the tension between his admirable motivations and his self-destructive impulses.Booklist

A marvelous debut.Kirkus Reviews

Harmon knows the world of outsiders, and he writes in a dead-on true voice, both funny and tragic.Chris Crutcher

Author Bio

Michael Harmon's hobbies include backpacking, fishing, woodworking, and building skateboard and snowboarding ramps for his kids in the backyard. Skate is his first novel. The author lives in Spokane, WA.