My friend… let’s call him Mike… really likes Slam by Nick Hornby, so much so that he a) owns a copy and b) started reading bits out to me, nodding to himself as he read. I take it that this is a good sign, since a) Mike’s too busy with his broadband, hard drive recorder and iPod (and his job and life and families and that stuff) to read lots of books, and b) Sam the narrator of Slam (oh, I just got it – Sam… Slam) is 15 and Mike hasn’t been 15 for ages, so he reads even fewer young adult books.

Slam‘s about teenage pregnancy, but from a guy’s perspective, which is a good thing, but it’s also about growing up, skateboarding and having a laugh while reading about serious issues.