Accident, The [Paperback]

Todd Strasser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1990

Everyone had been drinking that snowy night when Chris's car plunged into the ravine. Luckily, Matt hadn't gone with the group. Now four of his friends are dead. Only Jason survives.



Everyone blames Chris for the tragedy, and Matt doesn't like the way people talk about him and harass his family. Matt suspects there's something fishy about the investigation that followed the accident. Was it another case of drunk driving? Or was something more at stake? Matt is determined to uncover the truth, but no one is talking. What really happened that night?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matt and his best friend Bobby attend a party at Chris's house. Everyone is drinking, and when Bobby invites Matt to drive to a ski house, Matt feels nauseous and refuses. Bobby, Chris, Jason and two girls take Chris's truck and drive several miles before they have a fatal accident. Four of the five teens are killed; only Jason survives. Chris, who has a reputation for drinking and dealing drugs, is immediately blamed. However, Matt is convinced there is unseen aspect of the accident, and he is determined to expose it. Strasser conveys significant messages without condescending to his readers. His depiction of the teens and the accident is realistic and unsensationalized. While at times the plot is contrived and therefore lacks potency, the story will trigger emotions in its readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9 Eighteen-year-old Matt Thompson's close friend, Bobby Stewart, the son of a rich philanthropist and the nephew of a popular candidate for governor, dies with three other classmates in a late night auto accident following a drinking party. News reports blame Matt's neighbor, Chris Walsh, who was also killed in the accident, because he was a known alcoholic. But Matt, tipped off about the blood alcohol counts of the four dead teenagers, begins to suspect that all is not what it appears to be. With the help of the only black policemen on the town force and Chris' younger brain-damaged sister, Matt uncovers the truth. There's a big catch, however, and Matt must decide whether to tell the truth or keep quiet. Amidst the didactic lessons about racism on the police force and drunk driving, Strasser raises the questions of whether the end justifies the means and the importance of the public's right to have information. Except for Matt, the characters are wooden and read their lines to fit the issue-laden plot. Like The Wave (Delacorte, 1981) , which Strasser wrote under a pseudonym, this story is more effective as a discussion stimulator than as a credible adventure-mystery. Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (April 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440206359
• ISBN-13: 978-0440206354
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,731,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 120 novels for teens
and middle graders, including If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Can't Get There From Here, Give a Boy a Gun, the Impact Zone series, and the DriftX series. He lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Piece, October 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Accident (Library Binding)

A Review by Sarah

This book was about some teenagers who were drinking one night at a party and got into a car and disaster struck. Most of them were killed but miraculously one teenager survived. There was one kid that didn?t get in the car that was at the party, and his name is Matt. Matt knows something is going on about the accident that the police aren?t telling him, so he starts to investigate. People of the neighborhood are automatically assuming that the driver of the accident was a guy that always gets blamed for bad things and Matt wants to think differently. Matt searches for the missing piece.

One thing that I didn?t like about this book is the title. It?s very plain and not exciting at all. This book deserves a more exciting and grabbing catch title for the good read that it has. Also, I loved how Todd Strasser put this book together. It had a good meaning to it and it explains that this is a normal type of accident that happens in life a lot around the world. It describes how drastic accidents like this really are. Lastly, I liked how the scenes were unexpected. I didn?t even suspect what was going to happen next. It kept me on a suspense that made me wasn?t to keep me reading.

I recommend this book to teens that have drank alcohol before or even have had thought about it. It could help them change there mind about the situation and save there own o and everybody else?s lives. It?s a good lesson to learn and this book teaches it well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars learning a lesson, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Accident, The (Paperback)

"the accident" is a book you may never forget. it teaches you not to drink and drive or you may suffer the consequenses. i definately recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friends drinking & driving next thing there's an accident., June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Accident, The (Paperback)

"The Accident" was a very interesting story. It's about a group of friends going on a skiing trip, but also drinking and driving. I like the story because it sends a perfect message to everyone through out the world, children and adults. Why drink and drive? Can people wait until they arrive at the place and then drink?