12. SKIDSTER – Middle Grade Futuristic Science Fiction

Mentor: Naomi Hughes

Mentee: Lindsey Duga

Title: SKIDSTER

Category: Middle Grade

Genre: Futuristic Science Fiction

Word Count: 67,000

Pitch:

During an illegal race, futuristic skateboarder Jed Tank crashes into an alley and accidentally witnesses a blackmail transaction—which leads to the murder of his best friend’s grandpa. Unable to let it go, Jed is sucked into the scummy underworld of Skid City’s crime lords, where he unravels a plot that will bring the city to its knees.

Excerpt:

Everything about this trick came down to a formula. I’d already calculated it a block ago, right after seeing the wind speed in the top right corner of my goggles—15 miles per hour—and my own speed in the top left corner—57 miles per hour. Hmm. My mouth twitched into a small smirk. C’mon Jed, you can do better than that, ya slowpoke.

I tucked my shoulders in and dropped my knees slightly, commanding my body to tighten and create the least wind resistance possible. The skoard under my boots hummed with energy and sunrays bounced off its metal plating as my shadow moved with me. Just this small movement was enough to make the digital green number in the top left corner of my goggles shoot up by six. Sixty-three miles per hour.

My lips pulled back into a full-tooth grin. I could work with that.

Angry wind screamed in my ears as I bent my legs and felt the hum of the copper pipe under my skoard. I could see the railing on the next building over, but I forced my senses to stay in the present. Listening to the shhh sound of the skid-tech surface of my skoard meeting the sleek pipe, feeling my shirt whip against my sweaty arms and chest as the wind threatened to throw me off balance.