Road Tripped by Pete Hautman

Steven, known as Stiggy at school, finds everything wrong with other people. When his girlfriend ghosts him and he decides that he's had enough with his life in Minnesota, he takes his recently deceased father's Mustang and goes on a road trip, not knowing where he might end up. During his trip, Stiggy has flashbacks of everything wrong with Minnesota- from his father who shot himself to his friends, who don't seem to understand him. He also meets new people along the way, friendly drifters to drug addicts- and begins to rethink his life.

I thought Road Tripped by Pete Hautman was a good book. However, it was a darker story than I normally read. I thought the way the author utilized flashbacks to show Stiggy's problems in Minnesota was very interesting. Each of the characters, both new and old, seemed very realistic to me. The story made me think about the issues of mental health and how your actions can affect the way that other people view you. I didn't particularly like how the book ended- it didn't have a definitely conclusion. I thought that the book addressed a lot of serious problems in society, and I definitely recommend it to others.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10

Montrose Library