Crossing the Line by A. D. Fast Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 1550681362 Number of Pages: 126

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Low
GENRES: Realism, Sports
THEMES: Family, Coming of Age, Romance, Bullying

SUMMARY:
Jack is a star on the Bayview High Sharks hockey team, and as the story begins, the play is getting rougher and their new coach is not impressed. When the coach comes up with an innovative plan for improving the team, Jack must decide where he stands. As if that weren’t enough, Jack’s interest in one of the figure skaters, and his concern over his mother’s strange behaviour, add to his problems. When he learns that he was a victim of child abuse as a toddler, he finally understands why his mother left his father so many years ago. Jack begins to realize where violence can lead, and he makes some decisions that will affect his future and that of the people close to him.

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK: A kid who...
· adores hockey
· likes figure skating and all things arena-related
· is a bully
· is a reluctant reader who needs high interest and low vocabulary
· like realistic school stories and straightforward plots
· comes from a single-parent family

WHAT ELSE?
This book is part of the Bayview High series. All the books in the series are grade 5 reading level, but geared to reluctant readers in the intermediate grades. Its size and straightforward plot make it a great choice for LD students as well, and there is a glossary at the back of the book to explain unfamiliar terms. Characters reappear in different novels of the series, so that makes it appealing as well. Violence is suggested but not too graphically portrayed.

RELATED LINK:
Word Search