Cool and well approachable for my students. Both the book and the protagonist.

Un paio d'anni fa ho visto il film u_u

Lo so, non vi interessa ma sto guardando Milan-Viktoria Plzen e non mi viene in mente niente da scrivere u_u

Ecco, è finito il primo tempo.

Diciamo che è carino e che Blake tutto sommato non si è immedesimato malissimo nei panni di un ragazzo u_u ( )

The unnamed narrator of this gripping story is a sixteen year old prep skateboarder who from the start is feeling a little out of things. His parents have separated and both his mother and younger brother are emotional, his father rarely around. Having arranged to go with a friend to Paranoid Park, where the toughest of the skaters go, he is disappointed when his friend pulls out. With an appetite for nothing else, and in spite of the cute girl who has invited him to call in, he goes to Paranoid and gets pulled into a situation which in a few minutes will change him forever. What should he do? Who can he tell? How bad will the fallout be? As indecision stretches inaction, resolution and peace of mind seem less and less likely, and his inability to focus on school, friends, family or even his new girlfriend increases. He does discover one saving grace, however. ( )

A teenage skater is involved in the accidental death of a railway worker - and must deal with the fallout of trying to keep it a secret (from his family, friends and the police) while also dealing with his parents' divorce and his girlfriend's demands. While the novel seems a little slim, it is very tense and believable. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

If you dare visit Paranoid Park in Portland, Oregon, you will find the Streeters and the Preps. In Blake Nelson's new novel, PARANOID PARK, the reader enters the dark side of the skate park world along with the main character, who happens to be one of the Preps.

Paranoid Park is the nickname for an old skate park being used by the less desirable Streeters. While visiting the park, the main character is dared to jump a train car with one of the Streeters. When they are discovered by a security guard, an unfortunate "accident" causes the horrific death of the guard. The Streeter takes off, leaving the Prep with the guard's remains and the decision of what to do next.

What should he do? Tell the police, tell his parents, tell a friend? He decides to keep the truth to himself, but mixed in with his parents' impending divorce, his girlfriend issues, plus school and grades, he may have more than he can deal with.

Nelson's PARANOID PARK is described as a psychological thriller, and I couldn't agree more. If you are a fan of getting into the mind of the characters, this is just the book for you. With its attention-grabbing title and its cool skateboard cover, it will be flying off young adult shelves. ( )