Bradbury, Jennifer.
SHIFT
New York : Atheneum, 2008
IL YA
ISBN: 1416947329

(3 booktalks)

When Chris Collins and Winston Coggans take off on a post-graduation cross-country bike trek, Chris's hopes are high. He's looking forward to seeing the country, dodging a dull summer at a minimum wage job, and having one final adventure with his oldest friend. The journey from Hurricane, West Virginia to the coast of Washington state delivers all those things... and more.

So much more that when Chris returns home without Win at the end of the summer, he's certain their 10 year friendship is all but over. But when an FBI agent begins asking questions—and raising suspicions about Chris—he learns that saying goodbye to a friend like Win is never as simple as riding away. Shift offers an adventure story and a missing persons tale spinning around a single question: What happens when you outgrow your best friend? (from the author’s website)   (Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominee, 2010)

Booktalk #2

When buddies Chris and Win go on a cross-country bike trip after graduation and only Chris returns, pressure from Win?s powerful father separately fuels the FBI's and Chris's private investigation into Win?s disappearance.  (Florida Teen Reads nominee, 2010)

Booktalk #3

Is there something special you would like to do the summer after you graduate from high school?  Or will you be like a lot of other teens who spend their summer after graduation working at some boring minimum wage job?  That is not what Chris Collins and his best friend decide to do...In fact, these guys loaded up their gear and hopped on their bicycles leaving Hurricane, West Virginia for an adventure filled summer.  The plan is to ride all the way to Seattle, Washington to visit Win's uncle.  Chris and Win have been friends since elementary school and Chris has always put up with Win's wild stories and crazy antics, but on the trip it starts to strain the relationship.  You see, Win has this way of getting out of paying his share of the expenses even though his family is very wealthy and Chris' isn't.  Not only that, Chris discovers that Win has been hiding thousands of dollars in his pannier. There are times when they are traveling, that they leave a fair amount of distance between each other on the road.  The tension between the two guys continues to increase.  Win ditches Chris in Montana and Chris finishes the westward trek solo.  When Win doesn't contact anyone to let them know his whereabouts, people begin questioning Chris about what happened.  Win's domineering and powerful dad even gets the FBI involved.  How do you think Chris will explain his best friend's disappearance? Did Chris leave Win behind, or was it they other way around?  You decide what happens when best friends grow apart. (Cathy Hesselink, chesselink@horrycountyschools.net, librarian)