Surf Ed.    by Karol Ann Hoeffner Order:  USA  Can Pulse, 2007 (2007) Paperback     Reviewed by Lyn Seippel Molly Browne unwillingly trades the Texas plains for the California beach. She and her mom leave Texas in the middle of the night for reasons Molly doesn't understand and her mother refuses to share. Molly was never popular, but she did have a few friends in Lubbock where she grew up. In Hermosa, California she has no one. Surf Ed. begins with the mandatory (because they are often true) scenes that every book about being new at school includes. Molly meets rude student cliques and hides out in the band room during lunch. After her first PE class for losers who don't play sports, Molly knows she has to find an alternative. She hates team sports and ticks off every sport her harried counselor suggests until she comes to Surf Ed. At least she can swim. Hearing that she must also be able to surf, Molly lies and says she learned in the Gulf of Mexico. Duke, the surf instructor, allows her to stay even after he realizes she's never been on a surf board. Gidget-like, Molly becomes one of the surfer group. Hoeffner's California beach town is great backdrop for Molly's story. Molly grabs the opportunities offered and learns to love the endless ocean and her surfer friends. Hoeffner frequently leaps from character to character filling the reader in on the feelings of each player. This seems to work, even if it momentarily takes the reader out of the story. All in all, this is a very enjoyable book with an unusual background and some thrilling descriptions of California surfing. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews