Saturday Night Dirt

by Will Weaver

Book Overview

It's a sizzling summer Saturday, and Headwaters Speedway is suddenly the place to be. Thanks to rainouts across the state, this small-town dirt track is drawing big-time stock cars and local drivers.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374350604
• ISBN13: 9780374350604
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 163 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

AN EXCELLENT GIFT SUGGESTION

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

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. With weeks of rainouts and scarce employees, Mel Walters and her father Johnny are financially tight and on the brink of foreclosure. Adding on to the problems, Johnny was recently involved in a car wreck, keeping him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Soon after, Mel's mother deserted them because she couldn't deal with having a crippled husband. With the help of Trace Bonham, a smooth-talking clever young man, and some former racing champs like Cal Hopkins, there is still hope to be found. With this hope and some unexpected help, mysteries will unfold and emotions are tossed. With Sonny, a great racer in desperate need of respect, and Tudy, a young woman wishing for a new start, this book is action packed as well. Colorful characters like Amber, a competitive yet caring racer, the former Navy officer, Maurice, as the flagman, and the superstitious Beau make this book thoroughly enjoyable to read. Futures will be determined on this sacred dirt track, and every speck of dust holds some magic of its own. These characters are very well written and they fit together perfectly, or maybe it's the fact that they clash that's so perfect. Full of unexpected love, and fights breaking out, it's hard to determine if tranquility can be found once again in this peaceful town, but with some dynamic events, you can be the judge. With family and crew tensions at an all-time high and deceitful people in the shadows, just maybe they can pull through. The suspense is real and the wait is worth it. After getting caught up in all of these elements, this book can't be put down. If you are a race fan - or just someone who wants to read a wholesome book - this book is for you. So pick yourself up a copy and unravel some mysteries for yourself, you won't be disappointed; I know I wasn't.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

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"

The Real Thing

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