Take Off

Impact Zone #1

by Todd Strasser

Impact The most dangerous part of the wave. You gotta beat it...or you'll eat it. Kai is stoked when he gets to Sun Haven. He hasn't been on a board in a while. And SH has some primo waves. Screamers is the spot where you can regularly get tubed. Only it's patrolled by locals who keep it to themselves. They'll only let Kai into the lineup if he competes against one of them. This is everything Kai hates about surfing -- the competition, the commercialism. He's a free surfer at heart. But if he doesn't take the challenge, he'll lose what he lives da kine waves.

Genres: Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.

His most recent novel is Summer of '69

Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."

Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."

His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus 
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA 
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal 

Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.

All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.

After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.

Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when it first came out when I was much younger. At the time, I absolutely loved it but couldn't find the other two books in the trilogy. Luckily, nowadays there is Amazon. So I ordered the others and re-read this one. It still holds up. It's an excellent teen surfing novel actually told from the rare male point of view. It was the first book which introduced me to the name Kai, which has become commonplace now, but seemed really chill at the time. ;) I hope the other two books are just as good. I really wish more young adult/teen lit was geared towards males.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022:

And we’re back, with another reread of a Todd Strasser book I enjoyed in middle school. This is exactly the same kind of series as DriftX, but it has a bit more polish. I suspect it was written later and possibly that it was written for a target audience a year or two older. The content and the page count both point toward a book intended for high schoolers.

Kai rolls into town like a drifter from a Western and immediately starts picking up the local gossip the same way. He’s a bit younger than Kennin (DriftX) and in a correspondingly more limiting situation. That isn’t the only difference, either. Kennin takes an entire book to admit to himself that he wants to drive again. Kai never has to admit anything, because he never tried to pretend he didn’t miss surfing.

This is full of references, slang, and surf terminology so thick you could cut with a knife, or maybe a surfboard. I know only slightly more about surfing than I did when I read this the first time, but I’m definitely enjoying the social landscape of the town more this time. This book lays trilogy groundwork in a really classic way. I can see how some of the threads are going to collide, and I’m looking forward to seeing it happen.