Skateboard Breakdown

by Eric Fein, Gerardo Sandoval (Illustrator)

Ty Taggart has always loved skating. But ever since his older brother, Nick, died in combat, Ty has been off his game. He skates recklessly and has lost all interest in the local skating tournament. But when Nick's best friend, Edwin, pays him a visit, Ty is able to reign in his anger and realize his true skating potential. In the finals, everyone is dazzled by Ty's slick, flashy tricks -- until he wipes out and breaks his board. Ty will have to pick up the pieces and reassemble his board overnight if he hopes to prevail.

56 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Leib Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book serves its purpose 100%, which is to keep kids

INTERESTED
BUSY
QUIET

for extended periods of time.

And so the actual content is incidental.

My kids are all sons, and so your mileage may vary with daughters.

Highly recommended.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little story with some fun art.

[Tribhuwan Tyagi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short graphical read.

[Syd]

I read this with one of my 4th graders …. I’m counting it.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son Tyson is a skateboarder so I can relate to the tricks and flips and the talk of trucks and grip tape. I want know how the Tyson in the story didn't break his board in half on a weekly basis. We went through decks here like nobody's business.

"Skateboard Breakdown" reminds me of comics I read when I was younger. This would be excellent for a reluctant reader, particularly one who is not into competitive team sports. Tyson Taggart is dealing with the loss of his brother and is reckless in his grief. This might be a good choice for a reader who is struggling to cope with some sort of adversity in their own life.

The message in this book is not subtle. It's about coping with loss and disappointment without giving up. It's about bailing on a trick and then trying again. Getting back up, pushing forward, and looking for a solid landing no matter what stood in your way before.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit different from the others in the series, since it's not about a team sport. This one is about a young skateboarder working through a lot of issues, including grief over the death of his older brother. A friend of his brother's helps him both with his skateboarding and his life, in a very small number of pages. Surprisingly, this works pretty well. Not a masterpiece, but interesting.

[Aayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was good. It had a big moral. " life is full of hard landings and smooth ones" . I think it means that you will have obstacles in life and have smooth times but you never give up. This book kept me o. The edge of my seat.

[Mavis Appleblood]

It was a ground breaking Leave you on the edge of your seat book

[Mamatufy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful blend of sports & graphic novels.