A coming of age story for teenage boys, especially car lovers.
Jake's life is sweet. He's got no money and doesn't have a mobile, but he's got two best mates; Buzz and Robbie. Buzz is generous and doesn't mind buying stuff for his mates. Jake wouldn't change a thing. But then Robbie has the idea of the century: rescue the old wreck from the ditch and make it into a paddock basher. Yes!
Buzz, however, puts a spanner in the works by saying he's not paying for it all. Even stevens or no deal. Robbie gets a job. Jake refuses. It's just not his style to work for a boss. But he desperately wants to drive that car, and the others are going to go ahead without him.
The summer holidays are looming ahead of him in a desert of boredom and friendlessness. He needs a game plan ...
A writer with an uncanny understanding of young male teenagers, Fleur Beale also wrote Slide the Corner which won the Storylines Much-Loved Book Award - and teachers have been crying out for more books in this genre. Dirt Bomb fills this gap beautifully.
Awards
Shortlisted for the 2012 NZ Post Book Awards
Shortlisted for the 2012 LIANZA YA Awards
Behind The Book…
This isn’t about a recognised motor sport but it is about driving an old bomb as fast as possible round a paddock. I got the idea from my nephew who, along with his friends, found an old Holden in a ditch. They got it going and thrashed it round a paddock until it died. They had so much fun.
- Fleur Beale
Reviews For Dirt Bomb
Dirt Bomb is a light-hearted story about three friends on the cusp of adulthood…It’s a very New Zealand novel. The setting could be any small town on the coast; the kids could be people you knew growing up. The beauty of Dirt Bomb is that feeling of being young, holding on to and reveling in the last flush of youth in all its glory.
- Toni Wi, NZ Book Lovers
Kiwi boys are right into their cars. They talk endlessly of speed, noise, dirt and driving. In this novel for young adults, award-winning New Zealand author Fleur Beale has captured the essence of that desire with a story of three boys who rescue an old car from a ditch. It's summer, so they have time. The easy-to-read material is aimed at boys aged 11 to 15. Beale writes convincingly about life's struggles, the reluctance and reticence of youth, the way some adults jump to conclusions, the generosity of others, and the delight of achieving one's aims. The boys make the car work, have fun bashing it around the paddock, meet girls along the way, and learn how to make their relationships work.
- Penny Robinson, NZ Herald
This is a totally accomplished book for older readers with a sense of humour and an interest in cars. It’s a wry look at another of us humans making our way in life.
- Jill Holt, NZ Books
Good short novel, well written plenty of petrol head talk and racing and some great advice for young car enthusiasts.
- Bob Docherty, Bob’s Books Blog
Click here to listen to an audio review by John McIntyre on Radio New Zealand
Teachers Notes
Download the PDF with the Teachers Notes for Dirt Bomb here.