The Colossus of Roads, Christina Uss
The Colossus of Roads, Christina Uss
List: $18.00 | Sale: $12.60
Club: $9.00

The Colossus of Roads

Author: Christina Uss

Narrator: Robbie Daymond

Unabridged: 5 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/28/2020


Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Rick Rusek is determined to improve the traffic conditions in Los Angeles--his parent's failing delivery catering service, Smotch, depends on it.

"Traffic is a puzzle with one correct solution. And I've got to solve it!"

Rick has been studying maps and traffic patterns for years, and devises solutions to improve Los Angeles' notoriously terrible traffic that he calls his Snarl Solutions. He has big ideas, but not enough resources- until his artistic friend, Mila brings him to a Girl Scout meeting.

Every week at Miss Diamond's art studio, the scouts paint recycled traffic signs with their own designs. The signs will be hung all over Los Angeles to beautify the city with art. But Rick, The Colossus of Roads, has ulterior motives . . . He will restore the signs to their original glory and find a way to install them strategically to rectify the traffic. Anything can be hung with duct tape!
But of course, it's not that easy. SPLAT (Stop Poor LA Traffic), BLAM (Bike-Loving Amazing Mamas), and the TCD (Traffic Calming Division) have their own methods of curing the city's dilemma and will undermine Rick's efforts however they can.

Will Rick be able to clear the notorious traffic problem on Sepulveda Pass in time for his parents to deliver Polish food to the movie studio and land the catering contract they need to keep their company afloat?

Written by Christina Uss, the acclaimed author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the year.

About Christina Uss

Christina Uss is scared of a lot of things, but still believes the world is full of nice surprises. Her first novel, The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and received starred reviews from Shelf Awareness, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publisher's Weekly. Christina lives with her family, her cats, and a scurry of backyard squirrels in Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Darla on November 15, 2021

Rick Rusek has a gift, but he can't really put it into practice. He has super map memory and the ability to figure out ways to unsnarl traffic troubles -- in LA! Unfortunately he has sever motion sickness issues when riding in a car and can hardly stand to ride even a mile in a moving car. His paren......more

Goodreads review by Paige on May 10, 2020

Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: The Colossus of Roads Author: Christina Uss Book Series: Standalone Rating: 4/5 Publication Date: May 5, 2020 Genre: MG Contemporary Recommended Age: 10+ (traffic!) Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books Pages:......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on August 18, 2021

Very charming. There is A LOT packed into this book, and it isn't given quite enough space to stretch out entirely. But Uss always has a lot of ideas, if this and The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle are anything to go by. Bicycle is better, but this has a lot to recommend it as a very satisfying......more

Goodreads review by Katie on June 09, 2020

This and more reviews -> Book Bustle This is a wholesome, coming of age book about appreciating talent, delicious food, and solving big problems with creativity and ingenuity. These are the values I want to instill in my son and this is a perfect book to accompany those lessons he is learning in real......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on March 19, 2021

Rick and his parents live in LA. His parents run a food catering company that requires them to drive all over the area, but the horrendous traffic keeps making them late and is threatening the survival of their business. Although Rick has such severe motion sickness that he essentially cannot go any......more