The Last Chance Texaco (Hardcover)

by Brent Hartinger (Author) "The door was locked, and I sure as hell didn't have the key..." (more)
Key Phrases: group home kids, other group homes, home counselors, Nate Brandon, Magic Step, Eat-Their-Young Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10--Lucy Pitt is 15 when she is sent to Kindle Home, a group home and her last chance at a semi-normal life. If she makes any errors, she'll be sent to the high-security facility known as Eat-Their-Young Island. Kindle Home is different from the other places she's lived, primarily due to the dedication of the counselors and the way in which they connect with the kids. Lucy realizes that she wants to stay there, and although she manages to weather the consequences of her own impulsive tendencies, she can't control the lack of funding that threatens the Home or the arson that is causing the neighbors to become even more leery of having such an establishment nearby. Readers will root for Lucy and come away with a greater understanding of the complexities of group homes and their inhabitants. Hartinger excels at giving readers an insider's view of the subculture, with its myriad unspoken rules created by the kids, not the system. There is a touch of romance and mystery, and while those elements may be a lure for less sophisticated readers, the memorable aspect of the novel is the way it takes readers inside a system most of them have never experienced.--Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-10. Hartinger's first novel, The Geography Club (2002), was a poignant high-school story. Here the setting is Kindle Home, a run-down mansion in an upscale neighborhood that's used as a group foster home for troubled teens. Lucy lost her parents in a car accident when she was seven, and in her affecting first-person narrative she tells how she has screwed up ever since. This is her last chance before a punishment center. Hartinger clearly knows the culture, and Lucy speaks movingly (if occasionally too therapeutically) about her anger and grief as well as about the other troubled kids. But this is more than a situation; there's a deeper story, as Lucy falls in love with a rich kid in the local school (first they fight, then they kiss). Best of all, however, is the mystery: who is setting cars on fire in the neighborhood? One of the Kindle kids? A neighbor who wants the school closed down? A hostile therapist? The romance and realism sometimes knock heads, but the talk is lively, and the tension of the whodunnit will keep readers hooked to the end. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060509120
• ISBN-13: 978-0060509125
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,123,187 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, July 10, 2006

By	Amanda Nicole (Darlington, SC USA) - See all my reviews

I had to read this book for my summer reading program for school, and at first I was thinking, "This is a book the school picked out, so it isn't going to be that good. I mean they don't know what kind of books us teenagers are into. All they like are them old boring books." Man was I wrong. This was one of the best books I have ever read. I loved it. Lucy is just one of those characters that you just bond with. You also feel sorry for her, because of how so many bad things have happened to her in her life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a great read for all ages. I finished it in less then three days. I just couldn't put it down. Some nights I even stayed up until four o'clock in the morning reading it. So, for anyone out there wanting to read a great book this summer, I recommend this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open the door to The Last Chance Texaco, February 22, 2004

By	Kevin Shrum "kjshrum" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

The novel, The Last Chance Texaco, like Kindle Home is a warm and inviting place to call home. Brent Hartinger's book gives a voice to those children and teens often overlooked by the system. Lucy Pitt enters Kindle Home a mixture of fire and ice. Slowly the ice melts and Lucy discovers what the warmth that a family and a home provide. Lucy is one strong and determined character ready to take on new friends, love, and a burning mystery that has her hiding in bushes and picking up bags full of garbage. Brent Hartinger has written a powerful novel that feels like home. Go ahead, open the door and step inside. I guarantee you will want to stay a while.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down! Stayed up late to finish it!, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

I really enjoyed this book, so much that once I started reading it, I could not put it down. If you liked "Geography Club", you will like this as well. I was trying to decide which one I liked better, but to be honest, I couldn't decide. GREAT second novel. Keep up the good work, Mr. Hartinger!