{"product_id":"vertical-9781891369988","title":"Vertical","description":"\u003cp\u003eSkateboarder Josh Lowman witnesses one of the best skateboarders in town (the local bully) commit a crime. For days he agonizes over whether to tell anyone. Meanwhile, his friendships with a fellow skater (who is debating whether to drop out of school), a beautiful girl in his class (who loves to read, and seems to like Josh), and a cool math tutor (a college student who skates) slowly steer him toward a new kind of courage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJosh has a mesmerizing narrator's voice; he rattles off a vacuous Valley-speak while slowly coming into his own, intellectually and morally. There is a hint of Holden Caufield about him. Vivid descriptions of skateboarding throughout the book will keep any skateboarder glued to the page. And a plot that rolls ahead constantly will maintain the reader's attention, while intermittently sneaking in a few lessons from English and math class, which serve to advance the story. (References to math in skateboard ramp design; plus small epiphanies from \u003ci\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAntigone\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOf Mice and Men\u003c\/i\u003e.) Josh starts out as a school-hating dude and slowly comes around to seeing that he can skate and be smart . . . and a decent person.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eVertical\u003c\/i\u003e will be loved by kids and by parents and teachers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Breakaway Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/28\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781891369988\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.50d","brand":"Janet Eoff Berend","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41490057658549,"sku":"9781891369988","price":11.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_cdb8e00c-1fca-4ade-a449-e36f76e68709.jpg?v=1640916769","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/vertical-9781891369988","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}