Drive

by Eric Howling

Overview

Jake dreams of becoming a golf pro, but can't afford a full set of clubs or a membership to the Royal Pinecrest Golf Club. The only way he can play the course is to sneak on to it. When Jake gets the opportunity to be taught by a pro, he has to learn to trust in himself, and stand up to the rich kids who belittle him, in order to take his game to the next level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781552770092
Publisher:	Lorimer, James & Company, Limited
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Series:	Lorimer Sports Stories Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,281,865
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Eric Howling is an advertising creative director and the author of nine books. His books have been shortlisted for many awards, and picked as a CCBC Best Books selection.

Editorial Reviews

Jake Cooper and his buddy Randy get up before dawn during golf season to practice their game. They need to get up that early to sneak onto the private course just up the road. Jake dreams of becoming a professional golfer, but can't afford to buy good clubs much less pay to play golf. He and Randy are caught by the head pro, Cliff Spencer, who agrees to give them lessons on the side. The boys end up working as "bag boys" at the club and suffer humiliation from their four schoolmates, who are members of the golf club. They have a long history of bullying Jake, especially the group's ring leader—Tyler Justin Davis II (TJ) Cliff urges Jake and Randy to sign up for the Junior Club Championship, which is open to members and employees. Of course, Jake ends up going one on one against TJ for the championship, which, after a shaky start, Jake wins. The subplot is about Jake's relationship with his single mom and his sadness about his absent father. He introduces Cliff to his mother. This novel is part of a series called "Sports Stories" and is intended for reluctant readers. It takes place in Calgary, Canada. Despite being formulaic, it is still a nice read and would probably hold a boy's interest. I would have liked more depth to characters, especially Jake. We never really do know his true feelings about his dad's leaving. Reviewer: Sarah Maury Swan

Children's Literature - Sarah Maury Swan