Battle Drift

Drift X #2

by Todd Strasser, Craig Phillips (Illustrator)

Set 'em up. Blow 'em off.

And shut 'em down.

Kennin's gaining popularity with the gearheads, and the word on the street is all about his sweet driving skills. Everyone wants a piece of him, but to go legit, he's got to give up the illegal tsuisos...and the major cash involved with them.

But when his sister's creep boyfriend starts trouble, Kennin realizes that he's got to do what's right for his family — even though it won't be easy. Kennin's ride may be amping, but his decisions may ultimately spell disaster.

201 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2006

About the author

Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.

His most recent novel is Summer of '69

Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."

Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."

His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus 
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA 
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal 

Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.

All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.

After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.

Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.

Reviews

[Nick Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

there just about to leave and go to there first drift battle in angelitas car. on there way there they notice clouds coming in and they say that in never rains in las vagos. when they get there everone is there but then it starts to rain but then they desid to race anyways. kennin gose fist he win but the other rider said he ceated. in the second race on of the crash and they call it off and none of the races countsed.Angelitas starts liking kennin and takes him home when no waon else know where he live and they talk bouat stuff and she spends the night. when they wake up his sister is finaly home and something is diffrent about her.jake made her get breast inplants so she can work at a club and pay of her det to him faster. he gives her a week to recover from it but he comes back and kennin and her gang up on him and to give r her a nother week.he leave and giver her another week. at kennin work there was a detective there again asking questions kennin findes out that the car was the marios so that why they wanted to knew how did it so bad.after the his boss want to get a theam for this caseno and wanterd it to be about cars and wanted to organicse an drifting even to atracet more popel.the rescegwaled the race and had a new place where cops wouldnt thing to look but the roads where narow and cervery with gint rock walls on both sides. the bosses friend went up to kennin and told him to not race but he didnt think of anthing of it. the jake came up to him and forsed him so that he would lose the race becaes he bet a lot of money on the races and said it would go a lot better for his sister if he did it.at the race kennin road with some one esle becaes angelita was made at him for bloing her of beacues her bro kennis best friend told him to back of so she still let him drive the car he one the first race but the same guy keep saying he cheeted when he didnt. the second race that he was suppost to loss he won but it wasnt agents the guy he had to lose to on the finle he he didnt watch his car inbetwen the heats and some one losend his tires and when he started going down it feel of and he crashed and the car the anlegan ws going to sell to pay for college and it was a big deal in her family beacues he would be the only one to go.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I finished the first one and I liked it so I read this one. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. The setting of this book is in las vegas and it is present day. The main characters name is Kennin Burnett and he is asin with dark long hair. He is very competitive and is a laid back person. This book is about these kids who race cars and the kind of racing they do is drifting. Well kennin is very good and he is going up against these jocks in school and when he wins against one of the worst drifters they say kennin cheated and want a rematch. Well kennin won fair and square but he said he will just beat him again. His freind tito put all his money on kennin witch kennin did not like that cause what if something went wrong. That night angelita spent the night at kennins but they did not do anything but tito does not belive them and tito is mad at kennin for like a month. Kennin and Angelita like each other but this one popular girl in class likes kennin and angelita thinks that he likes her and she is gunna mess up the thing between kennin and angelita. Well she dosent talk to kennin and at work kennins boss wants to start a drifting track and kennin is funna race for him. Kennins sister ows this guy 5 grand and she does not pay him right away and he tells kennin your gunna pay if you do not lose the second race. So kennin wins the first race and the kid is not happy and wants to fight and kennin beats him. The second race kinnin wins also so that guy his sister ows money to is not happy and tells kennin if you dont lose the last one your gunna pay. So the first kid wants to fight kennin again and kennin wins but well kennin is fighting this impact gun is bothing him but he tries to ignore it. So they start the third race and kennin knows there is something wrong with the car and the tire falls off and he crashes and that is the end of the book. So i cant wait till i read the next book. I love the book it is so good and i hope the next book is good too.

[Jesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I choose to read this book because i read the first one so i wanted to find out what happened in the race because at the end of the first book there was going to be a race so i wanted to find out what happened. The Genre of this book i realistic fiction because there could be illegal racing out there so there so this book is like that just in a book and i am liking these kinds of books realistic fiction. THe setting of the story takes place in Las Vegas like in the mountains because thats where the illegal racing takes place usually at night it also takes place on some of the casinos thats where the main character works. The main character, his name is Kennin he is the best drifter most of the people in his high school now him he has a best friend his name is Tito. Tito's sister Angelita likes Kennin but Kenning does not know it she works in a garage fixing cars Kenning uses her car to drift in races. The Plot summary of the story is that Kenning has a big race and that he needs to win it because Tito bet all of his money on him The conflict is that in the first race it rains and the race is cancelled the second he is threatened by Jack the Jackass so he has to lose but in the end both of those pretty much are resolved because he crashes and thats pretty much how the story ends on him crashing. My opinion about the book is that its a good book im really liking the series and i want to know what happens after he crashes can he race again or not.

[Manny cortez]

The DriftX book is a series, so in order to understand it you have to read the first one. This book continued with a 17 yr old asian guy named kennin. Hes identity is discovered, hes one of the greatest drifters ever known. This is a really interesting book to read and its a book that once you start reading, you wont be able to put it down. Its interesting how they talk bout cars and what type of things they put in them to make them better.

Kennins identity about drifting is found out, he was trying to keep it as secret so he wouldnt get the temptation to race again. He wasnt interesting in racing anymore because one of his friends died while drifting in the rain. 2 guys from his high school confronted him because they heard that he was a great drifter, but kennin didnt want to race because of the incident that had happened to his friend. At the end he ends up racing and it was raining so he was kinda scared that he might crash or commit an accident that might hurt someone else. AT the end he ends up winning the race. Its a great book i recommend it to people who like to read interesting book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because its about cars and racing. the book is about this kid named ian illegally street races. Tonight he is going up against the top drifter in the state, Chris Craven. His friend tito his sister builds and sells street racing cars for money for college but tonight she is letting Kennin use a nissan 240x the recent car she just built and was about to sell. It was almost Kennins time to race but the people who were racing before them one crashed and the car exploded. The cops saw the explosion and went to see what happened. So all the racers had to get out of there. So Kennin and Chris have to find another place to race cause the cops found out that there was racing going on up there.

[Charlie Gudme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very good overall. It contained a lot of action throughout the novel but I disliked the ending. It left me on a cliff hanger and ended in the middle of a major conflict. I felt that the climax happened at the end of the story and the novel did not show how the conflict was resolved.

[Aidan McCartney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was decent, I had thought there were a lot of holes within the plot and the characters back rounds and story telling was hard to follow. But overall it was a good book.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 reread:

This series really straddles a fine line of appropriateness that is sometimes hilarious. Like, Shinchou has a sugar daddy who convinces her to become a stripper, and Kennin lies regularly to cops, but nobody is allowed to say fuck or bitch unless it’s in Spanish. There’s a racist asshat who uses slurs left and right, but everyone else is like “dillweed” and “dipstick,” with the sole English-language exception of jackass. Hilarious, often jarring. It would flow better if they would just say dickhead like they so clearly want to, but I guess it had to stay PG.

The character drama is kept fairly tight, which I suppose is a necessity with such a low page count. It makes for a nice, fast-paced story, with enough characters that it has some substance, and everyone’s conflicting motivations are quite well-organized. Some of the less prominent characters get fleshed out more in the second installment of the series, which helps address the shallowness I noticed in the first book.




Original review:
Kennin's reputation as a drifter is out on the streets now. Everyone wants to see an epic race between Kennin and Chris, but complications keep popping up. Shinchou's situation is worse than ever, Raoul can't seem to stop stealing cars, and Tito wants Kennin to stay away from Angelita.
Sure, the ending was a cliffhanger, but it's a trilogy so it wasn't all that bad...

It's a book about drift racing. It was excellent.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drift is and an awesome book to read. It’s written by Todd Strasser. This book takes place in the city that never sleeps….Las Vegas. The main character is a young Japanese guy that is new to the city and he doesn’t know much about the new city. But he gets introduce to the world of drifting, and he lives his life in the fast and dangerous lane. If your that type of person that love to race, drift or just love to be around cars. Then this book it great for you. It’s really rare to find a book about street racing, or just a book that you will really enjoy to read.

[Angeluismanzueta · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a teen named kennin who is known as the great drifter on the streets until his sister shinchou gets an operation which her boyfriend jack had payed off but had made a deal with her to pay him back. now kennin must race to gain money to pay off the money but when he decided to disobey things get into trouble.

i would connect this book to the world because people who drift illegaly get into troulble and in also making deals with one another.

i would give this book 5 stars because it is a non-stop action book with racing fighting and love.

[Giovanni Mauro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rate: 7.5/10
Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in cars, graphic novels, realistic fiction, or comedy.
Flaws: I feel that Todd drifted away from the plot a bit and started to focus on making comedy.
Theme/Take Away: Never overlook any challenges that you face, always take them on and you'll be surprised at what great things you can achieve.
Why I chose this book: I chose to read this book because it I'm interested in cars, especially the art of drifting. I want to read the first one in the Drift X series, but I could only find this in my library :\

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just kind of scanned this one. I got to about halfway through and was tired of it, and it was due at the library soon, so I just read bits and pieces of the rest. Seems like a good storyline, but not as good writing as the first one.

[~Tony~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

these are small but fun , one-two hour books.

[Alec Baldwin]

THis was a decent book, but i didn't really like it that much.

[Patrick Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was realistic and i really liked the series cause kennin the drifting king was a great character to have in this book just to say i couldnt put this book dowm.

[Tim hickerson]

a good book

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F STR driftX bk.2

[Daron Ovenseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

its awesomely nice bruhs.