Lockie Leonard Scumbuster (TEENAGE) - Softcover

Tim Winton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0868196088 ISBN 13: 9780868196084

Publisher: Pan MacMillan, 2000

Synopsis

Nothing's simple for Lockie Leonard. He's only lived in town for a year and his dad's the local police sergeant, two facts that don't win Lockie any popularity contests. Dumped by his popular girlfriend, he's back to being the loneliest kid in town until he makes friends with Geoff Eggleston, or Egg, the weirdest human being Lockie's ever known. Egg is a dark-haired, pimply-faced, very bright "Metal Head" who can't even swim, though their town is right on the Australian coast. By contrast, Lockie is a trim, blond, expert surfer.

Lockie and Egg decide to somehow clean up the town's harbor, partly covered with scum from industrial waste. In the middle of all their planning, Lockie falls in love again, with a girl who turns out to be only eleven. To make it worse, she surfs better than he does, though he's the best in his school. Can a thirteen-year-old surfrat have a headbanger for a best friend, stay in love with an eleven-year-old gremmie, and still save his town from industrial pollution?

Tim Winton is a prize-winning Australion novelist whose The Riders was short-listed for the 1996 Booker Prize. He himself is an, expert surfer. With rich characterization, strong narrative drive, and much humor, Winton has written a contemporary story that reflects the concerns of all teenagers and will reach a wide audience.

About this title

About the Author:

Stig Wemyss is an actor, writer and the voice behind millions of children’s audio books. Well, not millions. Thousands ... Alright, more like hundreds ... He has a huge fan club. Bolinda Audio is constantly receiving letters from kids saying things like ‘Stig Rocks’ and ‘I love Stig’ and ‘Stig Wemyss is the best narrator in the world’. Of course we don’t show Stig all these letters, as he already thinks he’s the best narrator in the universe! Now that he is also the author of an exciting in-car audio entertainment series, The Tripp Diaries, he thinks he’s the best narrator and the best author in the universe. We think he is too, but let’s just keep that to ourselves!

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-9Readers in search of a sincere bit of fun should not miss this fast-paced, slightly whacked-out sequel to Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo (Little, Brown, 1992). From the punning first chapter title, Lockie Leonard, Bloomin Stupido to the climactic Operation Constipation, this likable and enthusiastic Australian-surfer protagonist will entertain readers. Lockie, now 13, breaks his personal surfer code of ethics by developing a friendship with Geoff (aka Egg), a bogan, or metal head. Egg defends his appreciation of heavy metal music, suggesting that it is more voidage than drasticality which means that it is more about getting numb than it is about suicide. They embark on an ecological crusade to expose the corruption and industrial irresponsibility that are destroying the quality of the water and of life in their harbor town. Lockie also falls instantly and hilariously in love with Dot, an Elle McPherson look-alike surfer. In quick succession, she blows him out of the water with her technique; obliterates his self-respect when he finds out shes only 11-years-old; and, after a mind-blowing but chaste first kiss, dumps him. Vicki Streeton, Lockies love interest from the first book also makes a couple of strategic appearances. Short chapters and physical humor should appeal to reluctant but capable readers. Diverse adult characters add interest. Like Phyllis Reynolds Naylors Alice, Lockie has legs that can carry Winton through as many future episodes as he cares to detail. Heres hoping there will be plenty more.Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan MacMillan
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0868196088
• ISBN 13: 9780868196084
• Binding: Paperback