Roller Coaster. (HIP-JR). Erin Thomas. Illustrated by Charlie Hnatiuk. Toronto, ON: HIP Books, 2013. 67 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-42-9. Grades 3-8 / Ages 8-13. Review by Sherry Faller. ***½ /4

	Roller Coaster Teacher’s Guide. (HIP-JR). Lori Jamison. Toronto, ON: HIP Books, 2013. 20 pp., stapled., $7.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-43-6. Grades 3-8 / Ages 8-13. Review by Sherry Faller. ***½ /4

excerpt:

Pirate World wasn’t the biggest park on the planet, but it was big enough. Finding Justin was going to be tough. Unless I gave myself an edge.

I stood at the base of the roller coaster and looked up. Blackbeard’s Mountain was one of those old wooden coasters, three storeys high, with lots of supports. Climbing up the tracks wouldn’t be too hard. From the top of the first hump, I’d be able to see all around the park.

Another stroke of genius, I thought. I zipped back and forth through the line-up railings. If only it were this fast when the park was open. Blackbeard’s Mountain had been my first real roller coaster, and I still kind of loved it.

The roller coaster cars were ready for the first ride of the day. I edged around them. Then I started walking up the track, taking big steps. Not too hard at all. And then, just as the track was starting to curve up, my foot slipped.

Junior sleuth Emma and her brother Justin are typical young teens whose family is suddenly thrown into turmoil. Their father is accused of stealing and is fired from his security job at a local amusement park. Ever the detective, Emma decides to disprove the accusation and get her father back his job. She and Justin sneak into the park just as it is closing, hide and watch for funny business. They use their creativity to solve the problems of getting a hand-stamp, distracting guards, hiding, and escaping a fire. Their finding out the real reason their father was let go puts them into personal peril. Typically, they have to answer to their parents and the police, and Emma demonstrates her feistiness by expecting gratitude for solving the crime!

     Readers will love the fast-paced chapters with exciting endings that entice them to keep reading. The characters’ use of technology, like cell phones, makes the story more up to date and in line with the reader’s lifestyle. The black and white sketches are detailed enough to not appear childish and enhance the plot, characters and the drama of the story.

     HIP Junior novels are designed especially for the reluctant middle years reader. While the reading level is at grade 2.5, the interest level ranges from grade 3 to 8. The accompanying teacher’s guide explains how the books include picture support and real dialogue. The plots in the series are gripping; the characters are young people, with real kids’ thoughts and actions. The double-spaced font is easy to read, and hyphens are never used at the end of a line of print.

     The teacher’s guide includes exercises in vocabulary building, group procedures, information about the author and activities for each chapter. The graphic organizers will help readers to organize their thoughts. Information about the series, levels, teacher and parent information and even online books can be found at http://www.hip-books.com. Roller Coaster and the series are certainly worth looking into and highly recommended for any classroom or school with reluctant readers.

Highly Recommended.

Sherry Faller is a retired teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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