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Surf Mules

Author G. Neri
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PMW–Perfect Monster Wave. It could be the answer to all Logan’s problems. He could ride it and figure out what to do about his deadbeat dad, who turned out to be a major loser. He could figure out how to help his mom out of the financial jam his dad put her in. He could decide whether going to college and forsaking the wave and the surfer’s life are really what he wants to do. He could even forgive his former best friend, Fin, for being the greatest surfer Hermosa Beach has ever seen. The Perfect Monster Wave. But when it comes, Logan doesn’t expect to see Fin riding it. He also doesn’t expect Fin to die riding it. Logan didn’t even know anyone his age could die. Suddenly his world is in a tailspin, but his faithful bud, Z-boy, may have the answer for Logan–a summer job muling illegal cargo cross-country.  

While Logan knows it’s not the smartest thing to do, it does seem like the only thing to do. A road trip could be just what he needs to clear his head and make some quick cash. But with Z-boy’s constant screwups, a band of Nazi surfers out for blood and a mysterious stranger on their tail, Logan is starting to have some serious doubts about this summer job, and wonders if he’ll even make it home alive.  
G. Neri writes street lit, “provocative, edgy stories for reluctant readers,” he says, “especially urban boys, in hopes that these kinds of compelling tales will open minds to reading.” Neri’s books deal with subjects that may make some adults uncomfortable – gangs, drugs, teen violence, and sex – but are issues teens face every day. “I try to show these topics honestly,” says Neri. “So when young people encounter these situations in real life, they might have some knowledge to help them navigate the rough roads ahead. Teens are young adults and need to be treated as such, with honesty and directness.”

A storyteller, filmmaker, artist, and digital media producer, Neri’s taught animation and storytelling to inner city teens in Los Angeles with the ground-breaking group Animaction, which has produced thousands of student-made films dealing with issues like teen violence, gangs, and drugs. He co-directed the documentary Fa’a Samoa which followed a 15-year-old Samoan gangbanger through the mean streets of Los Angeles and was head of production in two successful new media companies whose clients ranged from Disney, Mercedes, and Motorola to Microsoft, Reebok, and General Motors. G. Neri was also one of the founding members of the Truth teen anti-smoking campaign. The author of Surf Mules (Putnam, June 2009), Chess Rumble and the upcoming graphic novel Yummy (due out Fall 2009) currently lives off the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. He spends most of his time in his studio, but also likes to troll the rivers by his house looking for alligators.

View titles by G. Neri

About

PMW–Perfect Monster Wave. It could be the answer to all Logan’s problems. He could ride it and figure out what to do about his deadbeat dad, who turned out to be a major loser. He could figure out how to help his mom out of the financial jam his dad put her in. He could decide whether going to college and forsaking the wave and the surfer’s life are really what he wants to do. He could even forgive his former best friend, Fin, for being the greatest surfer Hermosa Beach has ever seen. The Perfect Monster Wave. But when it comes, Logan doesn’t expect to see Fin riding it. He also doesn’t expect Fin to die riding it. Logan didn’t even know anyone his age could die. Suddenly his world is in a tailspin, but his faithful bud, Z-boy, may have the answer for Logan–a summer job muling illegal cargo cross-country.  

While Logan knows it’s not the smartest thing to do, it does seem like the only thing to do. A road trip could be just what he needs to clear his head and make some quick cash. But with Z-boy’s constant screwups, a band of Nazi surfers out for blood and a mysterious stranger on their tail, Logan is starting to have some serious doubts about this summer job, and wonders if he’ll even make it home alive.  

Author

G. Neri writes street lit, “provocative, edgy stories for reluctant readers,” he says, “especially urban boys, in hopes that these kinds of compelling tales will open minds to reading.” Neri’s books deal with subjects that may make some adults uncomfortable – gangs, drugs, teen violence, and sex – but are issues teens face every day. “I try to show these topics honestly,” says Neri. “So when young people encounter these situations in real life, they might have some knowledge to help them navigate the rough roads ahead. Teens are young adults and need to be treated as such, with honesty and directness.”

A storyteller, filmmaker, artist, and digital media producer, Neri’s taught animation and storytelling to inner city teens in Los Angeles with the ground-breaking group Animaction, which has produced thousands of student-made films dealing with issues like teen violence, gangs, and drugs. He co-directed the documentary Fa’a Samoa which followed a 15-year-old Samoan gangbanger through the mean streets of Los Angeles and was head of production in two successful new media companies whose clients ranged from Disney, Mercedes, and Motorola to Microsoft, Reebok, and General Motors. G. Neri was also one of the founding members of the Truth teen anti-smoking campaign. The author of Surf Mules (Putnam, June 2009), Chess Rumble and the upcoming graphic novel Yummy (due out Fall 2009) currently lives off the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. He spends most of his time in his studio, but also likes to troll the rivers by his house looking for alligators.

View titles by G. Neri

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