Amazon.com: Saturday Night Dirt: A MOTOR Novel (Motor Novels): Will Weaver: Books

Review

“If you have a young car-racing fan in your family, this book is the perfect summer reading choice: It’s a face-paced story about a struggling speedway in northern Michigan and features a great cast of characters, all car-obsessed teens. Great for boys and girls.” —Good Morning America

“For rugged reality, pick up Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver, a high-energy story about cars and small-town racing.” —Parade magazine

“In small-town Northern Minnesota, the place to be on Saturday night is Headwaters Speedway, a dirt racetrack. Local teens gather to race, work on the pit crew, watch the action . . . Lots of car talk and racing, some rivalries and a bit of romance keep the pace fast and enjoyable, even for non-race fans.” —The Providence Journal

“Weaver fleshes each [character] out enough to leave a lasting impression on readers and make them curious to know what happens next.” —Publishers Weekly

“Thoroughly enjoyable...this book presents a fascinating look at small-time racing where the love of it gives the glitz of NASCAR its roots.” —School Library Journal

“Compelling...It is the atmosphere of the track that is the real star here.Young racing fans, particularly those familiar with the small tracks that dot rural parts of the country, will find much that rings true.” —Booklist

“Librarians need to steer boys who tinker with internal combustion engines to Weaver's latest work. Short chapters and a brisk pace...may attract those reluctant readers who can recite the firing order of a V-8 and know how to tighten down a valve cover.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The racing lingo moves the story along, while the reader's interest remains piqued wondering how all the characters will fit together, who will end up with whom, and who will win their heart's desire. This book is a winner in a sports event rarely dealt with by young adult authors.” —VOYA

“I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading Saturday Night Dirt. I was completely absorbed. I really felt like I could identify with the characters. I read the book in one day. It was impossible to put down.” —Ben, 17

“The book Saturday Night Dirt has been one of the best books I've read.” —Hannah, 13

“I loved the book Saturday Night Dirt. Anyone who reads this book will change the way they look at dirt tracks forever.”—Bethany, 13

“Saturday Night Dirt is a great book. I have never been a big racing fan, but even so, this was an awesome book. I can't wait for the next one.” —Kyle, 14

Product Description

It’s a sizzling summer Saturday, and Headwaters Speedway has suddenly become the place to be. Thanks to rainouts across the state, this small-town dirt track is drawing both big-time stock cars and local drivers. There’s Trace Bonham, whose Street Stock Chevy is acting up in a big way. And Beau Kim, whose “stone soup” Modified has been patched together from whatever parts he could scrape up. And no one could forget Amber Jenkins, a strawberry blonde who has what it takes to run rings around them all. Keeping everyone on track is Melody Walters, who knows that the impending rain might be exactly what they need to keep her father’s speedway afloat—or sink it for good.

In Will Weaver’s high-revving novel, the first in the Motor series, a cast of car-obsessed teens and adults are all out to prove themselves, both on and off the quarter-mile track, as they move through their day on a collision course to meet on Saturday night dirt.

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Product Details

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374350604
ISBN-13: 978-0374350604
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #706,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
"Torque wrench." Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
guitar hero, racing tonight, hot laps, pit row, racing suit, roll cage

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Johnny Walters, Cal Hopkins, Late Model, Headwaters Speedway, Sonny Down Wind, Street Stock, Trace Bonham, Pure Stock, Art Lempola, Super Stocks, Beau Kim, Don Bonham, North Dakota, Tweety Birds, Mel Walters

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing, May 17, 2008

By	Marsh Muirhead "Author of 'Key West Explained... (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Auto racing is the number one spectator sport in this country not because of NASCAR or Indy, but because of the hundreds of short tracks that run weekly programs from Pennsylvannia to Kansas to California. The drivers are hometown heroes -- the guy or girl who bags your groceries, runs the auto body shop, sits next to you at school. From the pits to the popcorn seller, the ensemble cast in this young adult novel is spot on accurate and real. Crashes, intrigue, romance -- a good story and no better way to get young people, even "motorheads," to read!

Marsh Muirhead - author of "Key West Explained - a guide for the traveler

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 21, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

It's not NASCAR or the Indy 500. It is small town, dirt track racing. There's dust in the air, and colorful characters racing their cars around the track. There's plenty of competition, an intense desire to win, and enough mystery and intrigue to keep even non-racing fans on the edge of their seats.

SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT is set at Headwaters Speedway in Minnesota. Mel Walters and her father, Johnny Walters, are struggling to keep their little race track in business. Johnny, once a driver himself, is now confined to a wheelchair after a tragic accident years ago. Mel's mother needed only a few short weeks to determine she couldn't stay married to a man in a wheelchair, so Mel and her dad have been on their own for quite some time.

Still in high school, Mel acts as track manager, and she is probably the sole reason for the track's continued success. The story begins and ends on one Saturday. Because of Mel's drive and determination, it's a Saturday that makes history for the track and just might breathe some new life into it.

Other members of the cast of characters include several young racers like Trace, Amber, and Beau hoping to make their mark in racing. There's Patrick, who handles parking and sings the national anthem before the night's racing begins. Maurice is a retired navy man who handles the signal flags like a pro. There are also the down-and-out racers like Sonny from the local reservation who lack the funds to really be taken seriously by the other competitors. Even the ever present threat of bad weather becomes a player in the non-stop action at the track. Each plays a part in the Saturday night excitement and helps make the story a real page-turner.

SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT is billed on the cover as "A Motor Novel." Hopefully, that means it is the first of many more. Weaver's book is especially excellent for reluctant guy readers, even if they don't have a special interest in the sport of dirt track racing.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

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5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT GIFT SUGGESTION, June 28, 2009

By	Louis Hermansen (Roseau, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Saturday Night Dirt (Motor Novels) (Paperback)

Purchased as a gift for a grandson who is very into machines, especially cars and motorcycles. An excellent book by an excellent author!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Tough Times at the Track
Dirt track racing. It's the one thing keeping this community together, but yet, apart. Headwaters Speedway is the place to be, but some haven't seen gloomier days. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mid-Praire Teen

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