With a mutual love of roller coasters being the only thing linking him to his devil-may-care, long-gone father after his parents' divorce, Hart has great difficulty adjusting to his mother's new boyfriend, a nerdy weatherman. Grade 4-6-The last thing that Hart, 12, wants to do is get to know his mother's new boyfriend, Dub Dugan. Compared to his father, Dub is a dud-even if he is a well-known weatherman with a Willard Scott personality. Hart and his father used to be a fearless duo and rode all kinds of roller coasters together. Unfortunately, that is about the only memory he has of the man since his parents' divorce two years ago. To keep that memory alive, he and his best friend secretly build a small coaster in the ravine behind their houses. When Hart decides to test it, he breaks his arm and learns that bravery comes in many forms. Dub is there for him and his mother, and he finally finds the courage to accept the changes in his life. The story's strength lies in the depiction of the main character's struggle with his idealization of his unreliable, absentee father. The ever-present image of roller coasters effectively twists its way throughout the novel, and Hart's fascination with them is believable. Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Gr. 4-8. Twelve-year-old Hart's father hasn't been around much since the divorce, and now his mother is dating the TV weatherman, whose style is a little too Willard Scott for the boy. Hart and his father do share a common interest in roller coasters, and Hart is anxiously waiting to see if his father turns up for their annual roller-coaster-riding trip. At the same time, Hart and his buddy, Frankie, are clandestinely building a coaster of their own, and their catastrophic inaugural ride helps Hart to see what's valuable about a life with ups and downs. This nuanced portrait of the changed mother-son interaction after a divorce also captures a child's feelings about a parent who flits in and out of his life. Secret roller coasters and summer plans add zip to the story. Mary Harris Veeder Twelve-year-old Hart's parents have been divorced now for two years, but he still has trouble accepting that their marriage is over. So when Hart's mother, Sandra, begins dating Dub, the local celebrity weatherman, Hart is inconsolable. The only thing that still gets him going is his passion for roller coasters--a passion he shares with his absent father, Kip. As his mother and Dub's relationship develops, Hart spends his time building a working roller coaster, the ``Termite,'' with his friend Frankie in a nearby ravine and waiting for Kip's letter to tell him which roller coaster they will ride that summer. The letter never arrives, Dub and Sandra become engaged, and Hart takes his first ride on the Termite--with disastrous consequences. In a night of agony and solitude, Hart learns that bravery is not flamboyant, as Kip believes: It takes courage to commit, which Kip can never do. Hart also realizes that he himself has courage--and not because he was foolish enough to ride the Termite. He later proves his bravery by accepting his mother's marriage and rejecting his father's values. Duffey (How to be Cool in the Third Grade, 1993, etc.) speaks directly to the problems facing many adolescents today. Hart's character resonates. (Fiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Used Book in Good Condition