Blue Highway [Paperback]

Diane Tullson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Truth and Skye are just like all their high-school friends. They love to drive cars, they love to party, and they booze it up whenever they can. And when the two girls find summer jobs at the local pizza shop, they see no reason to change their habits. They befriend Vale, a co-worker who is grateful for their attention. But the two really only have eyes for Vale's car, which she will get as soon as she passes her driving exam. Cars mean freedom - freedom to go where they want and do what they please. Truth doesn't know why, but she can't seem to get what she really wants. And she wants Ryan, the seriously handsome guy who works at the pizza oven. Truth's reckless behavior does catch his attention, but not in a good way. And as the summer progresses, Truth watches herself gradually lose control in a series of self-destructive acts. One day she'll be able to stop but will that day come too late? A gripping story - by the author of the critically acclaimed Edge - Blue Highway explores teen alcoholism in a way that is neither didactic nor judgmental. Once again Diane Tullson demonstrates a keen awareness of what drives ordinary teenagers in trouble - their loyalties, their petty jealousies and that aching sense of isolation that makes them withdraw from the world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–A cautionary story about teenage drinking and driving. Truth and Skye casually drink their way through a summer of friendship based more on a shared past than on any discernable true connection. Their jobs at a pizza place, a sheltered friend whom they exploit, and a boy who gets between them provide the impetus for Truth to start examining the relationship, leaving her destructive abuse of alcohol as a side note until, well, the predictable happens. The pat conclusion is surprisingly satisfying, although it is hard to tell if that is due to the neat tie-up of the plot elements, or because the rather flat characters and choppy writing are at an end.–Rhona Campbell, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. When Truth was eight, a truck hit her, and her friend Skye brought her back to life with a shake. Now Skye is bringing Truth down, both with her drinking and with the eye she has cast on Truth's secret love, Ryan. Taking a page from Lurlene McDaniel's playbook, Tullson offers a story that obviously leads toward someone winding up dead. Teens will see much that is familiar here, especially the way drinking can get out of hand. Although it's Skye who starts out with the drinking problem, it's Truth who suffers. Truth's father says there are no accidents, only a series of mistakes, and this story recounts one after another, making it something of a morality tale--one that tends to meander. Still, the characters are viable, especially the needy Vale whom the girls latch on to as a designated driver. The tragic ending may shock a few kids, but if it shocks them into looking more closely at their own drinking habits, this will be a worthwhile read. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside; First Printing edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550051245
• ISBN-13: 978-1550051247
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,857,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)