Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Bradbury, J. (2008) Shift. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781416947325

Plot Summary: After Chris and Win (short for Winston) spend four inseparable years of high school together, they slyly convince their parents to allow them to travel across the country, on bike. They set a date right after graduation to make their departure for Seattle, Washington from their home state West Virginia. Chris and Win meet hospitable people on their journey. Chris is the more organized and thought-out friend, while Win is the irresponsible, reckless kid whose life path is determined by his father’s desires. The journey is a bonding experience for the two friends. They learn so much about themselves and about each other. However, Win isn’t the friend Chris thinks and ends up ditching Chris towards the end of the trip. When Chris returns home back to his regular life, still angry at Win, he finds out that Win never made it home. Now being the man of question, Chris is determined to find out how and why Win’s journey went askew.

Critical Evaluation: Having experienced the feeling of being done with high school, most teens, and some adults, will relate to need to break out and explore other parts of the country. The author, Jennifer Bradbury, writes a vivid account of Chris and Win’s journey that is inspiring and entertaining. The story was fast paced and keeps readers enticed. The switch from chapter to chapter with scenes from the past and present was clever and well done. The mystery portion of the story was a bit predictable, but nonetheless, the storyline resembles that of a Law and Order episode. Aside from the interesting plot, the friendship between the two boys was well developed with just the right amount of emotion. I would highly recommend this book to both girls and guys who are up to a down-to-earth and exciting story. Bradbury manages to depict the changes that the teens experience within themselves and the evolution of their friendship.

Information about the Author: Jennifer Bradury lives in Burlington, Washington where she teaches English. She and her husband experienced bike riding across the country for their honeymoon. Shift is her first published novel. An interesting fact about Bradbury is that she was a one-day winner on the game show Jeopardy.

Annotation: After Chris and Win come up with the brilliant of idea of biking cross-country, the two friends experience both highs and lows. But when Chris returns home by himself, he is questioned by the FBI and his life is no longer the same.

Genre: Mystery

Curriculum Ties: United States geography

Booktalking Ideas: Show clips of road trip photos to spark discussion about cities that were visited by the characters throughout the book. The librarian can then explain a brief story of how two friends visited these places on a journey to find themselves and a bit of adventure.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 9th-12th grade

Challenge Issues: Aside from Win disobeying his parents’ wishes, the characters were decent kids who did not get into much trouble. The book does not have any controversial subject matters.

Reason for Inclusion: Most teens dream of crazy ideas to do after their high school graduation. Shift is a great story about two friends who choose to take the risk of making a journey that will change their lives.