The story's strength lies in the depiction of the main character's struggle with his idealization of his unreliable, absentee father. Dub is there for him and his mother, and he finally finds the courage to accept the changes in his life. When Hart decides to test it, he breaks his arm and learns that bravery comes in many forms. To keep that memory alive, he and his best friend secretly build a small coaster in the ravine behind their houses.
Unfortunately, that is about the only memory he has of the man since his parents' divorce two years ago. Hart and his father used to be a fearless duo and rode all kinds of roller coasters together. Compared to his father, Dub is a dud-even if he is a well-known weatherman with a Willard Scott personality. Grade 4-6-The last thing that Hart, 12, wants to do is get to know his mother's new boyfriend, Dub Dugan. 10+) - Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. Duffey (How to be Cool in the Third Grade, 1993, etc.) speaks directly to the problems facing many adolescents today. He later proves his bravery by accepting his mother's marriage and rejecting his father's values.
Hart also realizes that he himself has courage-and not because he was foolish enough to ride the Termite. In a night of agony and solitude, Hart learns that bravery is not flamboyant, as Kip believes: It takes courage to commit, which Kip can never do. The letter never arrives, Dub and Sandra become engaged, and Hart takes his first ride on the Termite-with disastrous consequences.
As his mother and Dub's relationship develops, Hart spends his time building a working roller coaster, the ``Termite,'' with his friend Frankie in a nearby ravine and waiting for Kip's letter to tell him which roller coaster they will ride that summer. The only thing that still gets him going is his passion for roller coasters-a passion he shares with his absent father, Kip. So when Hart's mother, Sandra, begins dating Dub, the local celebrity weatherman, Hart is inconsolable. Twelve-year-old Hart's parents have been divorced now for two years, but he still has trouble accepting that their marriage is over.
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