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Stone Rider
Author:
Hofmeyr, David
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 12-19
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.1
Grade: 7-12
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ISBN-13: 9780385744737
LCCN: 2014033203
Imprint: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Delacorte Press
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Pub Date: 07/14/2015
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $18.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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325 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
H 8.5",
W 5.8",
D 1.05",
0.975 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
VOYA's 5Q Picks
VOYA's Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
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Starred Reviews:
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~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal)
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TIPS Subjects:
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Science Fiction
Action/Adventure
Family Life
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Siblings
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / General
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LC Subjects:
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Bildungsromans
Coming of age, Fiction
Motorcycle racing, Fiction
Motorcycle racing, Juvenile fiction
Revenge, Fiction
Revenge, Juvenile fiction
Science fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Bildungsromans
Motorcycle racing, Fiction
Revenge, Fiction
Science fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.1
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Points: 9.0
Lexile Level:
560
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 07/01/2015 |
| Life in the desolate desert town of Blackwater is no life at all, and Adam Stone will stop at nothing to win the race that awards its victor a one-way pass to Sky-Base's enviable life of luxury. Debut Novel, 336pp. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 08/01/2015 |
| 5Q 4P J S. Stone Rider, Hofmeyr's debut young adult novel, draws inspiration from such movie classics as Clint Eastwood's westerns, the Alien series, and Star Wars and gives readers a truly gripping dystopian novel full of action. Adam Stone is a rider living a harsh reality in an unforgiving world. His fate is to race or work in the mines, but either way he faces imminent death. As entertainment for the sky dwellers, many riders will start the race, most will not finish, and only one rider gets a winning ticket to live in luxury in the sky. Thrown into the mix are a strong-willed girl, Sadie, and an invincible rider named Kane. Their fates are tied together in ways Adam cannot imagine. It is clear that Hofmeyr drew on the gritty settings of epic westerns for this novel, the first of three. The protagonist is tested to his limit, losing his family and home and being forced into the grueling race. Time and again, he wrestles with himself and tries to maintain his sanity and humanity while he rides the race of his life. He is drawn to Sadie, a strong female character with riding skills of her own. And then there is Kane, a rider bringing in mythical elements. Who will make it to the end of the race, and what price will they have to pay to do so? Readers will be especially enthralled with the "bykes" the riders own and the actual race with its many obstacles. The bykes have the capacity to store memories, and the skill to ride ultimately decides a rider's fate. Told from a third-person point of view, this novel will appeal to both genders that are drawn to dystopian stories with action. There is mature subject matter, so this is recommended for upper grades of junior high school. This has special appeal to students that are fans of Motorcross and BMX racing.--Valerie Burleigh. 336p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2016 |
| 3. In a dying world, Adam seeks to escape his desert hometown. His chance: a brutal, revenge-fueled motorcycle race with a one-way ticket to the luxurious off-world Sky-Base. He could do it alone but hesitates to leave his love, Sadie, behind. Hofmeyr's debut is an exciting dystopia with an intriguing premise (if readers can swallow motorcycles that connect with rider's brains). de. 326pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2016. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 06/01/2015 |
| A dangerous race is run with everything on the line in this gritty dystopian thrill ride. Adam Stone has lived his whole life in the run-down town of Blackwater. He spends his time riding his byke, dreaming of local beauty Sadie Blood and a life in Sky-Base, the luxurious city in the clouds. The only way for Adam to get to Sky-Base is to win the Blackwater Trail, a brutal race that attracts the best of the best and the lowest of the low. When mysterious outsider Kane shows up out of nowhere, all hell breaks loose and Adam finds himself racing for vengeance with Kane and Sadie at his side. No one will hold up this book as a prime example of originality, but few will deny its ability to entertain. The novel's first third is its biggest weakness: over-the-top prose veers dangerously close to dystopian parody, and the worldbuilding is remarkably thin. The latter section, which details the long, winding race, is far superior, filled with action and suspense and cool character reveals. Through it all, readers stick with Adam, a character Hofmeyr smartly draws as just a kid who wants to get somewhere. It's a simple character type, but there's something to be said for relying on an old favorite. Less exciting is Sadie, who never rises above her stock character type of love interest/damsel in distress. By novel's end, readers will be very familiar with her curves but not remotely aware of her emotions. An exciting, action-packed romp that hits a few bumps along the way. (Dystopian adventure. 12-16). 336pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 06/22/2015 |
| Ages 12-up. After 15-year-old Adam Stone loses his entire family to a parched and toxic environment where citizens rarely reach the age of 50, Adam decides that his only chance for survival is to ride his "byke," an intuitive "wonder-machine" passed down through his family, in the Blackwater Race. The winner of the race is granted entrance to Sky-Base, a space station with fresh water and food. Hofmeyr's dystopian debut, which may draw some Mad Max comparisons, moves at breakneck speed, pausing only for spare descriptions of the landscape. As Adam takes off on his byke through the "hell-desert" of the Badland, the merciless, all-powerful Colonel Blood, who oversees the race, doesn't hesitate to "unplug" (slaughter) his fellow riders. Joining Adam are Kane, a scarred fellow loner, and Sadie, an attractive byke fixer who is also the Colonel's daughter. Hofmeyr constructs a bleak futuristic world and a landscape both sublime and unforgiving. Gory moments are balanced by majestic ones in a novel about self-preservation and reclaiming one's humanity amid brutality. A sequel is planned. Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown. (July). 336p. Web-Exclusive Review. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 06/01/2015 |
| Gr 9 Up. Fifteen-year-old Adam Stone inherited his biomechanical bike from his brother, who inherited it from his father. His family has escaped working in the mines by riding the race circuit, providing entertainment for the Watchers. The Blackwater Trail will be his first race, and unlike most of the other racers who ride with fellow gang members, Adam plans to do it alone. It is a vicious race over treacherous terrain, riddled with deadly booby traps and fellow competitors who'll stop at nothing to be among the first three across the finish line. The grand prize is a one-way ticket to Sky Base, the only refuge from the toxic planet they call home. Second and third place win cash and points toward buying their way into the sky. Shortly into the race, Adam is joined by three unlikely allies, whose presence helps and hinders his progress. From the privileged Watchers, who place bets on race participants to the catchphrase spoken to start the race, "May you live to see the sky," there are numerous undeniable parallels to Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games" (Scholastic). But there is also the feel of the old Westerns, but with bikes instead of horses, slingshots instead of guns, vigilante justice, and, of course, a beautiful girl. The gritty, nonstop action and violence will appeal especially to reluctant readers. VERDICT A dystopian title that is worth adding to already packed shelves. Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA. 336p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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9780385744737,dl.it[0].title
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