The Ride Home - (Orca Currents) 2nd Edition by Gail Anderson-Dargatz (Paperback)

About the Book

In this high-interest, accessible novel for middle readers, thirteen-year-old Mark adjusts to long rides on the school bus after moving to a small town to live with his grandmother.

Book Synopsis

Mark is a city kid who has come to a small town to live with his grandmother after his mom goes into rehab.

Mark has to take a school bus home for the first time. The long, noisy ride home is nothing like riding city transit. There's some kind of secret code of knowing where you're allowed to sit, the kids scream nonstop and someone even tries to set Mark's seat on fire. He quickly decides that all these kids are too strange and does his best to avoid them. But when tragedy strikes, Mark learns that he has more in common with these country kids than he had ever imagined.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Available in French as L'autobus infernal.

Review Quotes

"Delightfully poignant...Will hook all middle school readers into [the] story with language they will understand and find amusing."

-- "The British Columbia Review"

"If you like a quick read this book is for you."-- "Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children's Book News student takeover edition"

"Recommended for middle school and reluctant high school readers. Very good choice for libraries and families. Current topics, high interest and smooth writing at a lower reading level."-- "Must Read Literature"

"Appeal to readers who are most interested in realistic stories...A simple slice of life book with a pretty good lesson learned in the end. Recommended."-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"This is an accessible narrative with a layered reading experience."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Gail Anderson-Dargatz is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, including The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees, which were finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. She has also written a number of short novels for striving readers, including the Orca Currents titles Bigfoot Crossing, Iggy's World and The Ride Home, which was shortlisted for a BC and Yukon Book Prize. Gail lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.