Slam
Narrator Nicholas Hoult is best known as Marcus in the film version of author Nick HornbyÕs ABOUT A BOY. Now he narrates HornbyÕs latest novel while still a teenager himself--not surprisingly, he nails the tone of a Londoner whose life goes unexpectedly off the rails. Sam is obsessed with skateboarding and Tony Hawk, the worldÕs greatest skater. Life is going well--his teachers are recommending art college, and he has a beautiful girlfriend. In skating, a slam is a hard fall; in SamÕs life, the slam is unexpected fatherhood. Sam becomes a father at 16--the same age his mother had him. Hoult makes Sam an entirely believable teenager--his dialogue is slouchy, like a teenagerÕs, and his light tone maintains Hornb's humor. - AudioFile
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What a scary book. Becoming a father at 16 seems like a nightmare, and Hornby nailed it. The protagonist's life is going well, then a slip-up, and all of the stages of grief occur. He wants to skateboard, which is a release from his life. He has some loser friends, and his parents and the parents of the girl behave very expectedly.
Overall, it's a very realistic tale of a situation that hopefully no one wants to be a part of. I would highly suggest this. I read it in one afternoon, it's that good.
This was a summer reading choice in my ninth grade year. I read A Seperate Peace instead.