Full Throttle (Hover Car Racer Series #2) by Matthew Reilly, Pablo Raimondi (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Never give up. Never say die.

That's the most important advice his hard-as-nails instructor, Scott Syracuse, gives hover car racing phenomenon Jason Chaser. Combined with Jason's guts, determination, and talent, that advice brings Jason within a hairsbreadth of victory over his archrival, Xavier Xonora, at the international Racing School's Sponsors' Tournament. Even more amazing, Jason finds himself with a sponsor for the Italian Run, a prestigious professional race.

Nothing in Jason's tumultuous first year at the International Racing School prepares him for the culture shock of race fever in Italy. Luxury hotels, glamorous parties, media frenzy, hundreds of thousands of screaming fans lining the streets...and more intrigue and dirty dealing than Jason's ever faced. Can Jason stay focused and keep Syracuse's advice in mind? And at what cost?

How did Jason Chaser make it to the Sponsors' Tournament? Read the first book in the Hover Car Racer trilogy, Crash Course.

Donna Scanlon - VOYA

Reilly picks up the action where he left off in Crash Course (Simon & Schuster, 2004/VOYA October 2005), just after the race that qualifies young Jason Chaser and his crew for the Sponsors Tournament. The result of that race leads to another surprise when Jason is invited to drive a professionally sponsored hover car in the Italian Run, one of the four international Grand Slam race. With brother/navigator Bug and mech chief Sally McDuff in tow, Jason is off to Italy. The action accelerates "full throttle," leaving character development in the dust. Reilly makes a stab at a moral dilemma concerning fellow racer Ariel Piper, but it adds little or nothing to the story, and Bug and Sally get short shrift. Plot development is minimal; the two race events dominate the narrative. Still there is enough time leading up to the Italian Run to insert a note or two of intrigue and introduce some mysterious, if stock, characters. Short, choppy sentence fragments coupled with a keen sense of rhythm and timing propel the story right up to the slam-bang cliffhanger ending. This sure-pick for reluctant readers is bound to please action aficionados at any reading level. Apart from two course maps, line drawings by Raimondi were unavailable for review. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005 (orig. 2004), Simon & Schuster, 224p., Trade pb. Ages 11 to 15.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Jason Chaser, his brother Bug, and Sally McDuff attend the prestigious International Racing School in Hobart, Tasmania. With Jason as hover car driver, Bug as navigator, and Sally in charge of the pit, they are well on their way to success. Even so, they are surprised when they are picked to race in the Italian Run, one of the Grand Slam events that makes up the professional racing season. Intrigue and danger follow the Argonaut in its first foray into world-class competitions. Racing enthusiasts might enjoy this story from the not-so-distant future for its fast pace and detailed action. Unfortunately, the characterization and dialogue are filled with cliche after cliche, distracting readers from the plot.-Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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