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4 out of 4 stars
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The Irish Skateboard Club, by Brinn Colenda, follows the adventures of an American student in Ireland. Michael Callahan, as a child, was adopted by an influential Irish-American family. Being an expert in snowboarding and skateboarding, he desired to be a snowboard coach, but his family wanted him to go to college and get a job in a company afterwards.
To learn Irish culture, Michael was sent to Ireland for an exchange program. While in Dublin and trying to make most of his presence and talents there, he made some new friends. One day, while in a pub with his friend, Ciara, he overheard certain Russian and Italian underworld men talking about how they wanted to smuggle some stuff through Ireland. Immediately, he devised a plan to follow the Russians to their warehouse and inform the authorities about their activities later. However, things did not go as planned. Would Michael eventually succeed in helping the authorities get this crime syndicate busted? Also, would his experiences in Ireland assist in enhancing his self-image after all?
Consisting of vivid descriptions of scenery and events, this book is engaging and easy to read. It comprises fascinating twists. In addition, it's an unputdownable read with intriguing action and conversations, which are hilarious sometimes. Revolving chiefly around true friendship, identity crisis, and crime, its plot is strong. I hardly enjoy young adult novels because I usually get bored after reading their first few pages, but this one is an exception. The first page drew me into it.
Furthermore, this fast-paced novel gives some insight into the culture of Ireland, telling about the landscape and weather in Dublin. It includes the smuggling of icons and humans. Hence, readers who don't like reading books that involve such crime may want to skip it. Besides, it has a bit of romance, but there are no explicit sex scenes. Surprisingly, though the book involves crime, I didn't notice any swear words in it. Moreover, there's nothing I dislike about it; it's a good read.
Concerning the characters, they are interesting and well developed. The author gives enough details about them, and the teenage characters, including the protagonist, are exuberant and intelligent. I loved reading about them; they're appealing. Also, the villain, who leads a double life, is fascinating. There's just something about each character that'll captivate a reader.
Altogether, I rate The Irish Skateboard Club 4 out of 4 stars. I didn't rate it lower because it's interesting and enlightening. Moreover, it was well edited; I saw just one typo. It'll be a great read for fans of coming-of-age stories, especially the ones that involve crime.
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The Irish Skateboard Club
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