About the Author

Anastasia Suen is the author of more than seventy books for young people. She has been watching races since she was in elementary school. Anastasia grew up in Florida and now lives with her family in Plano, Texas.

 

About the Illustrator

When Sean Tiffany was growing up, he lived on a small island off the coast of Maine. Every day, from sixth grade until he graduated from high school, he had to take a boat to get to school. When Sean isn’t working on his art, he works on a multimedia project called “OilCan Drive,” which combines music and art. He has a pet cactus named Jim.

 

Glossary

accelerator (ak-SEL-uh-rate-ur)—the gas pedal that makes the kart go faster

chassis (CHASS-ee)—the kart frame

chest protector (CHEST pruh-TEKT-uhr)—a padded shirt worn on top of the racing suit

grid (GRID)—the order in which the karts will race

pit (pit)—the area of the track where the cars are worked on

pole position (POHL puh-ZISH-uhn)—the first spot on the starting grid, next to the pole on the inside of the track

shifter (SHIFT-ur)—a kart with gears to shift, for drivers ages 16 and up

straightaway (STRAYT-uh-way)—the straight part of the track

TAG (TAG)—a Touch And Go kart

transponder (trans-POND-uhr)—a machine mounted on the kart that figures out how fast the kart drove in each lap

 

MORE ABOUT GO-KARTS

 

FLAGS AND WHAT THEY MEAN

Checkered flag (black and white)—end of race! A winner has crossed the finish line!

Green flag—the race begins!

Black flag—a kart must go to the pit area

Yellow flag—caution; be careful

Red flag—stop the race!

 

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think Tony did the right thing by moving up to a TAG kart?

2. If you were Tony would you stay with the TAG kart or go back to the smaller karts and win more races?

3. What would you do if you always came in last?

 

Writing Prompts

1. Write about a day when older kids made fun of you and you couldn’t do anything about it. Describe how you handled the situation.

2. If you were Tony’s best friend, what would you tell him to do? Would you tell him to stay in the TAG division, or go back to the smaller ones? How would you help him deal with the older boys?

3. Tony’s dad let Tony decide which kart he would drive. Has a grownup ever asked you to make a big decision? What was it? (And if they haven’t asked yet, what big decision would you like to make?)

 

Other Books By Jake Maddox

Max and Tyler have been paintball partners for a long time when they realize that something’s strange at the paintball field. A new player in town, Ryan, has just started playing—and winning. At first, Max chalks it up to beginner’s luck. But then he starts to notice weird things about Ryan and his team: Can Max and Tyler figure out what’s going on before the biggest tournament of the year?

Tanner Ryan hates everything about his new town. That’s until he discovers the Curves, the most amazing place ever to skateboard. Unfortunately, on the same day he finds the Curves, he meets Bennett Parsons III, the resident bully. Can Tanner make friends and still have fun doing what he likes to do? Or has he been doomed to a life without skateboarding?

 

Internet Sites

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