Slam, by Nick Hornby - Out October 7th 2007

Slam stars Sam, a 16-year-old skater whose girlfriend gets pregnant and his whole world flips upside down. He turns to his idol for advice, skate legend Tony Hawk, talking to him through the poster on his bedroom wall. Which role model would you turn to for guidance? Which hero deserves a place of homour on your bedroom wall?

Leeds will be hosting an event with Nick Hornby at the

Art Gallery lecture theatre on Monday 1st October at 6.30pm.

Tickets will be £2 and will be available through the Carriageworks box office and from Waterstones on Albion Street.

This is what Puffin says about it:

"Slam is at once funny, serious, thought provoking and perfectly pitched - a brilliant book for teenagers about sex, making mistakes, heroes and the future, in which Nick Hornby takes us into the fevered mind of a hormonal teenage boy. For 16 year old, skateboarding obsessed Sam, life is pretty good. He's got plenty of spare time to hang out at the local skate park, he's got a new girlfriend called Alicia who is damn hot, her mum has finally dumped her rubbish boyfriend Steve and he's got world champion skater Tony Hawk to talk to about the meaning of life (albeit via a poster on his bedroom wall). BUT just when Sam thinks that things couldn't get any better, in 5 seconds his life is changed forever. Alicia gets pregnant and nothing will ever be the same for Sam again."