RAMP RATS

In this second volume of Orca’s Graphic Guide Adventures, the how-to topic is skateboarding. Tween Benny must beat local bully Crunch in an upcoming skateboarding contest to save face at the skate park. Meanwhile, he and his friends can’t practice, since the entire town is a “no-skate” zone. As the law chases them from parking lot to alley, they teach each other (and the reader) how to do some simple skateboard tricks. In addition to preparing for the contest, Benny is also tracking down a mysterious vandal who is terrorizing local businesses, and there is never any doubt that he will manage to nail both the criminal and the contest. The overt messages (“People say skaters are fearless, but that isn’t true…Good skaters just face their fears”) and predictable ending ensure that this slim graphic novel is unlikely to appeal to most readers over ten, and certainly not a seasoned skater. However, the graphic format and step-by-step instructions on skating technique may draw in reluctant readers or young novice skaters. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)