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Lost Goat Lane #2
The Goatnappers
Justin struggles with conflicting choices and important decisions about family, loyalty, and responsibility as he decides what his path in life will be.
Justin Martin is almost fifteen, and up until now his life has seemed woefully predictable—barely getting by in school, taking the bus home to do his chores around their small farm, bickering with his younger brother and sister. His mom has to work nonstop to make ends meet.
Then when Justin becomes the first freshman to make the high school's varsity baseball team, he's convinced his problems are all behind him. All he needs now is a little money for a bicycle to ride home from baseball practice. To earn the money for the bike, Justin sells Little Billy, one of the family's beloved baby goats.
But Justin's siblings find out that the new owner is horribly mistreating Little Billy. Then, when a red sports car appears in the Martin's driveway one afternoon, is it bringing emotional upheaval for the entire family, the tempting lure of adventure, or both?
Author Rosa Jordan's memorable, well-drawn characters are woven together into a web of complex relationships marked by the challenges of figuring out what is right and wrong and the confusion of divided loyalties. The result is a richly textured portrait of small town life and a struggling family that will intrigue and satisfy readers.
Justin Martin is almost fifteen, and up until now his life has seemed woefully predictable—barely getting by in school, taking the bus home to do his chores around their small farm, bickering with his younger brother and sister. His mom has to work nonstop to make ends meet.
Then when Justin becomes the first freshman to make the high school's varsity baseball team, he's convinced his problems are all behind him. All he needs now is a little money for a bicycle to ride home from baseball practice. To earn the money for the bike, Justin sells Little Billy, one of the family's beloved baby goats.
But Justin's siblings find out that the new owner is horribly mistreating Little Billy. Then, when a red sports car appears in the Martin's driveway one afternoon, is it bringing emotional upheaval for the entire family, the tempting lure of adventure, or both?
Author Rosa Jordan's memorable, well-drawn characters are woven together into a web of complex relationships marked by the challenges of figuring out what is right and wrong and the confusion of divided loyalties. The result is a richly textured portrait of small town life and a struggling family that will intrigue and satisfy readers.
- GenresChildrens
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Rosa Jordan
14 books4 followersImmigrated to Canada, 1974. Education: University of California, Los Angeles, B.A.; University of Guanajuato, Mexico, M.A. Addresses: Home: Rossland, British Columbia, Canada.
AWARDS:
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special nomination, Parents' Choice Award, and First-Place Award, National Council on Family, all 1997, all for The Sweetest Place; Silver Birch Honours Book designation, and Red Maple Award finalist, both 2005, and Chocolate Lily Award nomination, 2006-07, all for Lost Goat Lane.
AWARDS:
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special nomination, Parents' Choice Award, and First-Place Award, National Council on Family, all 1997, all for The Sweetest Place; Silver Birch Honours Book designation, and Red Maple Award finalist, both 2005, and Chocolate Lily Award nomination, 2006-07, all for Lost Goat Lane.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Freshman Justin Martin is pretty sure all of his problems in life are about to be over. He's just been made the youngest varsity baseball player in almost two decades, he found a bike to take him home after practice, and all he needs to do to make everything complete is to sell Little Billy, one of the family's pet goats. He even finds someone to buy Little Billy for exactly the right price! Justin's life is golden.
Until Justin and his siblings find out that Little Billy's new owner is mistreating him. If they leave him they'll all feel horrible and guilty forever. If they try to buy him back, Justin loses his bike and his spot on the baseball team. If they steal him... There just doesn't seem to be a good solution.
Just when it looks pretty bad, Justin's long-absent father appears, and things get much worse. Now everyone in the family is thrown into an emotional mess. If Justin doesn't figure it all out quick, and get his head back in the game, he may just lose his spot on the baseball team anyway. Not to mention the respect of his family, and himself.
Justin's life may not be something you recognize, or it may be a lot like yours. Either way, the decisions he has to make are a lot like the ones everyone deals with. How will you deal with injustice? Do you give someone who hurt you a chance to explain? Do you let them back in and risk them hurting you again? How far will you go to get what you want?
This book is about deciding right and wrong for yourself. It's about choosing what kind of person you're going to be and defining your place in the world. These aren't easy things to decide, but I think Justin sets a good, honest example.
Freshman Justin Martin is pretty sure all of his problems in life are about to be over. He's just been made the youngest varsity baseball player in almost two decades, he found a bike to take him home after practice, and all he needs to do to make everything complete is to sell Little Billy, one of the family's pet goats. He even finds someone to buy Little Billy for exactly the right price! Justin's life is golden.
Until Justin and his siblings find out that Little Billy's new owner is mistreating him. If they leave him they'll all feel horrible and guilty forever. If they try to buy him back, Justin loses his bike and his spot on the baseball team. If they steal him... There just doesn't seem to be a good solution.
Just when it looks pretty bad, Justin's long-absent father appears, and things get much worse. Now everyone in the family is thrown into an emotional mess. If Justin doesn't figure it all out quick, and get his head back in the game, he may just lose his spot on the baseball team anyway. Not to mention the respect of his family, and himself.
Justin's life may not be something you recognize, or it may be a lot like yours. Either way, the decisions he has to make are a lot like the ones everyone deals with. How will you deal with injustice? Do you give someone who hurt you a chance to explain? Do you let them back in and risk them hurting you again? How far will you go to get what you want?
This book is about deciding right and wrong for yourself. It's about choosing what kind of person you're going to be and defining your place in the world. These aren't easy things to decide, but I think Justin sets a good, honest example.
March 27, 2013
Less intense, with a plot centered on Justin, in this sequel to Lost Goat Lane. Nice twists to the story lines involving the kids and their animals at the end.
"There must be such a thing as a Spread Factor, he thought with a grim smile. It would explain how something, say a glass of milk,could be an exact measurable amount, but if you spilled it, it spread out in a way that made it seem a lot bigger.
The Spread Factor would also explain why Mom always started off working a certain number of hours at her jobs, then gradually added more and more hours until neither of she nor they knew exactly when she would get home. And it could also explain why the more Justin tried to catch up in math, the more he kept running into things that he didn't understand.
Most of all, the Spread Factor would explain how his problems, which could be listed on half a single page of unlined of lined notepaper, once they got out, kept spreading like spilled milk, all over the neighborhood."
"That's when Justin realized three things. One, everybody has problems. Two, the worst problems are the ones where nothing you do will make any difference. And three, he was lucky that his problems were the kind he could do something about."
"There must be such a thing as a Spread Factor, he thought with a grim smile. It would explain how something, say a glass of milk,could be an exact measurable amount, but if you spilled it, it spread out in a way that made it seem a lot bigger.
The Spread Factor would also explain why Mom always started off working a certain number of hours at her jobs, then gradually added more and more hours until neither of she nor they knew exactly when she would get home. And it could also explain why the more Justin tried to catch up in math, the more he kept running into things that he didn't understand.
Most of all, the Spread Factor would explain how his problems, which could be listed on half a single page of unlined of lined notepaper, once they got out, kept spreading like spilled milk, all over the neighborhood."
"That's when Justin realized three things. One, everybody has problems. Two, the worst problems are the ones where nothing you do will make any difference. And three, he was lucky that his problems were the kind he could do something about."
January 22, 2016
Another funny adventurous novel discussing challenging ideas like divorce, job loss, peer pressure, our attitude in the face of controversy and even animal abuse. How each issue is dealt with is real and transparent.
February 9, 2009
Cute novel. I read the first one book back when I was in grade five (I am now in grade eight).
December 21, 2010
Did this one for a Guys grade 7-8 book club
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews