Snowmobile Challenge

A Winter Sports Novel

By: L.S. Aksomitis

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The new millennium was supposed to mean fresh starts. Instead, for sixteen-year-old Brad Klein, the year 2000 begins with a funeral he's trying to forget.

After his best friend Riley dies in a horrific snowmobile accident, Brad’s family moves to a small town that feels more like a punishment than a second chance. Snowmobile curfews. Overzealous police. Rules that make no sense. And a new high school where fitting in seems impossible.

The local guys—Chickowski and Hollander—live to ride, but they’d rather bait Brad into a race than offer friendship. Jodie Reed might be different… if only she didn’t turn icy whenever he gets too close. Not that any of them could replace Riley.

Brad can’t erase the memory of that day. The train whistle. The old Moto-Ski flying by him. The split second that changed everything. And he definitely can’t confess what he and Riley were doing before the crash.

Two months later, the guilt is still there, heavy as packed snow. Anger is easier. Anger keeps people at a distance. Anger means he doesn’t have to admit how much he misses his best friend.

The 2002 Book Award judges said, “Brad Klein comes to understand the difference between proving oneself in a race and proving oneself in life,” Snowmobile Challenge is a powerful young adult novel about grief, peer pressure, and the courage it takes to forgive yourself and move forward.