Shift

[[image:Shift.jpg width="133" height="194" align="left"]] //Shift// by Jennifer Bradbury http://www.jennifer-bradbury.com/
I chose to read Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. This book is about two seniors who are about to graduate. Chris and Winston have been friends for life and with graduation coming up there are many questions about what they are going to do for the summer and more importantly the rest of their life. In the beginning of the story Chris’s mom begins to nag him about getting a summer job. However, that is the last thing he wants to do. He tries to think of any other alternatives. After thinking about it for a while he remembers an idea he had casually discussed with Win. A cross country biking trip. After talking with Win about it they get permission to go. They then plan the trip of a lifetime. Soon after graduation they embark on their journey from small town West Virginia to Washington State. They pack everything they need to ride including, camping supplies, food and extra bicycle gear. They have to be prepared as they will bike 3000 miles over 2 months. The much of their trek is smooth but problems with some problems with secrecy develop. Near the end of the trek Win and Chris become mad at each other when Win leaves Chris stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, without any explanation and disappears outside of Seattle. As a result Chris becomes angry, leaves Win behind and returns home assuming that Win is not too far behind him. He eventually heads off to college. Months later while he is in college the FBI showed up at his dorm asking about Win. Win’s father concerned about his son had launched an investigation to find Win. Chris finds out that Win never returned from the trip and was carrying $20,000. Chris’s problem is that he is the main suspect in the disappearance and Win’s father suspects he knows more than he actually does because he was the last person with him. In the last part of the story Chris is trying to find out more about where Win could possibly be. While he and the FBI are baffled and trying to figure out where Win is Chris realized more about Win and his family than he ever had. He realizes that Win ran away perhaps to run away from his family rather than go on a fun biking adventure.

I found this book enjoyable to read. At first I had some trouble understanding the plot and characters but as the story went on, I picked it up slowly. I like the fact that Bradbury took two normal high school seniors, a bike trip and made an interesting mystery out of it. I found this book easy to read. I realized that even the people you think you know, you might not know as well as you think. The content was easy to understand despite the fact that the story flashes back often. When I researched this book soon after checking it out I saw that it was geared more towards teenagers. I can definitely agree with that. If you are looking for an interesting book and are between 12 and 18 I’d recommend this book. -Clay A.