Book Review: BIG AIR
By: Christine Smith (McFarlane)
Jax is a talented young First Nations snowboarder who is
attending the Podium Sports Academy. Destined to be successful and a star in
the making, Jax has it made living in Calgary, and doing what he loves.
Jax loves his billeting family, the Marinos. They treat him
well, encourage him and support him in every way they can, but even living with
them doesn’t let him escape the problems he faced back home in Montreal with
his older brother Mark.
Mark is an addict, and not thinking about anything other
than making some cash from his younger brother, he steals money from their dad and
sister and makes his way to Calgary. After Jax has a small get together with
his friends, Mark’s friends show up at the door flashing knives and say “We
heard there’s a party here.”
Jax and his fellow billeting friend Rob manage to deter
Mark’s friends from coming in, but they come back later when everyone is gone.
Things go awry very quickly when Jax’s brother and his friends come back later.
They smash windows in the house Jax and Rob are staying at, steal from the
family and Rob is seriously injured when he finds that Mark is trying to take
their snowboards. He tries to confront Mark, but is knocked out and ends up in
the hospital for several days in a coma.
Jax is torn between family loyalty towards his brother Mark
and what happened when the police question him about how the robbery unfolded.
At first he lies and says he doesn’t know who attacked Rob, even though he saw
the whole attack and knows in his heart he should report his brother.
It isn’t until after a rather zealous and racist police
officer talks to him and tells him “You know kid, I wish I could believe you
but something isn’t adding up for me. You people
think you can do whatever you want and get away with it. You’re given way too
much. Why do I have to pay for my daughter’s education and you get it for
free.” And here’s a little story
for you. A kid just like you killed my cousin up north on the rigs. You can’t get
away with everything. We’ll catch them, all of them and that means you,” and
seeing his friend Rob in the hospital, that he contacts the police and does the
right thing by telling them what really happened.
Even though he tells the police everything, trouble ensues
when the same police officer that questioned him in the first place decides
that Jax is guilty of the robbery at the Marino family home and the attack on
his friend.
Jax spends a night in jail, while his family from Montreal
and his billeting family stand behind him in making sure that he is cleared of
the false charges.
Jax has to make the difficult decision of letting his
brother finally stand accountable for his actions and sees him go to jail.
Despite all this, Jax hopes for the best for his brother and after his friend
Rob gets out of the hospital, and asks him, “You think he’ll stay clean when he
gets out?”
Jax says “I hope so,” He’s my brother. My family.”
The Podium Sports Academy series by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
follows the lives of superjocks at an elite high school as they train for a
future in pro sports. Visit www.lorimer.ca for
details on the Podium Series.
Big Air is 142 pages long and is published by James Lorimer
and Company Ltd. It sells for $9.95 and is perfect for young readers who are
13+. ISBN-10:1-4594-0531-5
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