69 pages 2 hours read

Gordon Korman

The Juvie Three

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

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Chapters 1-4

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

Graham “Gecko” Fosse waits in a stolen getaway car for his brother Reuben and his friends while they rob an electronics store. Even though Gecko is too young to drive legally, he is an exceptionally good driver. He’s even better at driving than he is at not thinking, another very useful talent in moments like this one.

A man runs up to him, revealing himself to be the owner of the car. Gecko drives off. He circles the block around the electronics store, enjoying his ease and connection with the vehicle. Then he sees the car’s owner again in the company of a traffic cop. Gecko sees his brother and his friends come out of the store carrying piles of video games. He brakes just long enough for the other boys to scramble in. As they get settled, Gecko reflects that his brother had been preparing him for his role ever since he saw him driving a go-kart at nine years old.

The boys hear sirens and take off. As they come around a corner, they see an elderly woman with a pram step into the street. Thinking fast, Gecko turns the car off the road and onto the curb, but he misjudges and the entire car flips over.