Slam Hornby, Nick

So things were ticking along quite nicely. In fact, I'd say that good stuff had been happening pretty solidly for about six months. (from the first line)

Hornby''s first novel for young adults--a wonderfully witty, poignant, "New York Times"-bestselling story about a teenage boy who is unexpectedly thrust into fatherhood--is now available in a trade-sized paperback edition.

From the Publisher:
At the age of sixteen, Sam Jones's girlfriend Alicia gets pregnant and Sam's life of skateboarding and daydreaming about Tony Hawk changes drastically, so Sam turns to Hawk's autobiography for answers. Reprint.The #1 New York Times bestseller now in paperback.||For 16-year-old Sam, life is about to get extremely complicated. He and his girlfriendÂ?make that ex-girlfriendÂ? Alicia have gotten themselves into a bit of trouble. Sam is suddenly forced to grow up and struggle with the familiar fears and inclinations that haunt us all.|| Nick HornbyÂ's poignant and witty novel shows a rare and impressive understanding of human relationships and what it really means to be a man.

Annotation:
Famed British novelist Nick Hornby's first foray into the young adult genre follows skating-obsessed 15-year-old Sam as he navigates school, a new girlfriend, and new skate tricks. But when something happens that promises to transform his life forever, Sam finds himself terrified, confused, and in search of an out. Through it all, Sam turns to his hero, pro-skater Tony Hawk, for advice, solace, and reassurance as his life veers into serious, grown-up territory that even adults fail at. Both a 2007 Kirkus Reviews Best Young-Adult Book and a School Library Journal Best Book.

Author Bio

Nick Hornby

Born in London, educated at Cambridge, Nick Hornby wanted to be a screenwriter, became a journalist and English teacher, and finally emerged as a writer with his first book, FEVER PITCH (about his fanatical devotion to football) and his second, the novel HIGH FIDELITY. His next novel, ABOUT A BOY, became a best-seller and was made into a film. Hornby has an autistic son, Danny, and he and the boy's mother (now Hornby's ex-wife) have helped found a school, called TreeHouse, for autistic children, in London.

Praise

"[F]unny, strong and disturbing, a must read for older boys." 9/15/2007

"Hornby's...YA debut features witty dialogue, a winning if flawed hero and wry insights into the male psyche, making this book a sure bet for Hornby fans of any age." 10/8/2007

"The characters are given the opportunity to grow with charm and wit while facing the challenges of young adulthood." 10/1/2007

"SLAM slides by on its author's enormous charm, however, and on its exploration of some hard-won truths, including this encompassing definition of what adult love really is: a project 'full of worry and work and forgiving people and putting up with things and stuff like that.'" - Dwight Garner 11/11/2007

"Sam's voice is believable--he's got a good heart but an understandable degree of selfishness and confusion...." 12/1/2007

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Slam (Paperback)

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