Review Detail

TURBO RACERS: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure. Mace Blazer is a TURBOnaut, a high-speed vehicle racer. He recently let the world know who he is- a 12-year-old who took the world by storm. He feels pressure now that people know his age to keep winning so that they won't prevent him from competing. In professional racing, the fans do matter. Then, Mace is on set and gets into a dangerous accident that lands him in the hospital. If it hadn't been for the air bag, he could have died, not to mention the people around that he could have hit.

Mace is not sure he wants to keep racing and he is struggling with post-traumatic stress and anxiety, reliving the accident in his head. However, his friends who race are in danger, and Mace must help them.

What I loved: This book really brings the heart-pounding races to the reader with plenty of intense racing scenes. The main character and his friends are all really compelling and make for a great read. Targeted at the middle grade audience, this book would be great for fans of vehicles and competitions. The elements of post-traumatic stress felt really well and could open the door to important discussions about trauma and anxiety. This could be a great series for fans of action/adventure to pick up!

Final verdict: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure with TURBO racing and memorable characters. Great for middle grade readers who love competition, action, vehicles, and a touch of mystery.