Sixteen year old Jason Bock is getting pretty sick of the Teen Power Outreach, or TPO sessions his father is making him attend at their Catholic church. So Jason decides to create his own religion called The Church of the Ten Legged God, based on the town’s ten legged water tower as his chosen object of worship. His disciples are called Chutengodians, and include his friends Shin, Dan, Magda and Henry. Together, they decide that Tuesday will be their Sabbath, and that Chutengodians discriminate against morons, terrorists and intelligent fish. Of course, their religion includes a pilgrimage to the top of the water tower, which is where they get nailed by police for defiling the town’s water supply by swimming in it! But Jason’s got even bigger problems. He learns that not only has Shin has been compiling a book of Chutengodian mythology, but he’s actually starting to believe in it! What started out as a lark is now getting out of hand, and Jason isn’t sure what or even if he can do anything about it. Jason is learning the hard way that when you create something, you’re also responsible for it, whether you like it or not. A short, somewhat silly spiritual novel with a serious message that you can probably finish in just one Sunday (or Tuesday!) afternoon.
Month: May 2007
Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Forget WWJD–instead, think What Did Jesus Do when he was a rock and roll teen way back in the day? According to his best friend, Biff, J.C. was a happening guy. All the girls dug him, even though he couldn’t really date, seeing that he was the son of God and all. And he really did perform all those miracles–but Biff will be sure to fill you in on all the early ones that umm, backfired a little bit. Filling where the Bible leaves off (for those of you not in the know, the Word never gives any detail about Jesus as a teenager) author Christopher Moore has provided us with a highly irreverent and completely hilarious behind the scenes view of Jesus–the sort of guy who, according to the all-too-human Biff, is almost impossible to be best friends with, because he’s, well, perfect!
Asylum for Nightface by Bruce Brooks
Fourteen year old Zimmerman is sort of different from other guys his age in that, well, he’s pretty on fire for God. But not in a sanitized- organized-religion-kind-of-way, more like a historical-philosophical-why-are-we-all-here-kind-of-way. Which strangely enough, gets him in trouble with his rich yuppie parents who keep wondering why he doesn’t cut loose and go completely crazy like a “normal” teenager. Then, Zim’s parents get “born again” into this kooky island religion that Zimmerman sees through instantly. Suddenly, they are proclaiming that he was right all along and want to cast him in the role of “teen Messiah.” Well, Zim’s having no part of that, and what he does to throw them off his track is totally surprising. This book will leave you pondering whether the difference between right and wrong is absolute, or really just depends on the circumstance.
The Last Safe Place on Earth by Richard Peck
Todd has totally fallen for Laurel, his little sister Marnie’s babysitter. She is preppy, distant and completely mysterious. But when Marnie starts having bad dreams about evil and hellfire, Todd realizes that it’s because Laurel is filling Marnie’s head with her own special brand of Christian fundamentalism. Todd finds himself torn between his desire for Laurel and his distaste with her personal convictions. Things heat up even more when a local church group, of which Laurel’s mom is a member, pressure the school to remove certain books from the library. Todd starts thinking long and hard about his views on religion, censorship and individual responsibility. The implications and consequences of this novel will hurt your head (but in a good way).
Send Me Down a Miracle by Han Nolan
It’s pretty hard being a preacher’s daughter. Between dealing with her hardcore, Bible-verse-spouting dad and making excuses for her mid-life-crisis mom, Charity Pittman is just plain tired. Then artist Adrianne Dabney swirls into town from New York City and ends up turning Charity’s whole world upside down and back to front. Adrianne locks herself up in her house for a month in complete darkness as part of a “sensory deprivation” project that she hopes will enhance her artistic vision. But the only vision she ends up having is one of Jesus Christ sitting in her living room chair. Well, when that little news item gets out, all hell breaks loose-literally. The little town becomes sharply divided between those who want to worship the “Jesus chair” and those, including Charity’s dad, who believe the chair is an instrument of the devil. Charity finds herself in the awkward position of being somewhere in the middle, since she wants to support her dad, but has also fallen under Adrianne’s intoxicating spell. A little book with a big message that suggests we’re responsible for making our own miracles.
The Singing Mountain by Sonia Levitin
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of a sudden the meaning of life became completely clear to you? Like, for once you finally understood the purpose in your body and soul being placed on this planet? That’s how 18 year old Mitch feels when he travels to Israel for the first time on a class trip. Suddenly, his Jewish heritage is more than just window dressing. Mitch decides that he wants to stay in Israel and study Judaism, maybe even switch over his citizenship. But Mitch’s friends and family in the United States are terrified that he has been brainwashed by some extreme Jewish group, especially his cousin Carlie. So Carlie and Mitch’s mom go to Israel in hopes of luring Mitch into coming back home, and what happens to them there changes everybody’s lives forever. A good solid story about how much identity can be shaped by religion.
Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Dorry didn’t just wake up one day and find herself somehow changed into a religious fanatic. She got that way through the insidious and careful coaxing of a group called Fishers of Men. The Fishers are a radical Christian cult that lure new-kid Dorry into their midst with bright smiles, accepting arms, and best of all–a sense of belonging in a new and bewildering high school. Dorry loves being a part of the Fishers–at first. Then she starts to notice how much the Fishers are really asking of her. She is constantly hounded to convert new members, to follow a rigid caste system within the group, even blow off homework to attend numerous Fisher meetings. Suddenly, Dorry’s not sure if she’s a devoted believer or a crazed fanatic. When Dorry is fired from her babysitting job for scaring the kids with stories of hell, she re-thinks the whole Fisher thing and decides she’ll take spirituality on her own terms–not someone else’s. An excellent read with a timely warning–that you can’t always judge a cult by its cover.
Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville
Marina and Jed are at the top of a mountain waiting for the end of the world. Sounds kinda romantic, doesn’t it? It would be if it wasn’t for the fact that their families are part of a religious group that believes the end is near and has sequestered all “true believers” on top of Mount Weeupcut to wait…and wait…and wait. Along with stirrings of interest in each other, Jed and Marina are also staring to feel stirrings of doubt that the world is actually going to end like their fearless leader, Rev. Beelson, has predicted. And Marina REALLY starts to feel uneasy when she notices that the camp supplies include guns–lots of them. Even though Jed has never totally been sure that the world is going to crash and burn, he is starting to feel like he’d rather be somewhere else if it does. But before either of them realize it, the eve of Armageddon is upon them and they have fallen in love. Who will live? Who will die? And will the world REALLY end? Find out in this two-cool thriller co-authored by teen lit. laureates Jane Yolen (Marina’s voice) and Bruce Coville (Jed’s voice).
Seventeen Ways to Eat a Mango by Joshua Kadison
A gentle and fun intro. to Buddhist principles, Mango claims to be the “recently discovered” journal of “J.”, an aimless young botanist who has been sent by The Man to scout out an island paradise for the purpose of building a fruit packing plant on it. But instead, J. falls in the love with the beautiful island of Sakahara and its inhabitants, especially the village wiseman, Katchumo. Katchumo’s teachings turn J.’s capitalist sensibilities into introspective musings, and J. decides to damn The Man and seek life’s answers for himself. Call it kinda a Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the 90’s.
A Small White Scar by K.A. Nuzum
The only thing fifteen year old Will has in common with his brother Denny is a small scar that they each have on their hand from an ill-fated attempt when they were little to liberate their father’s penknife from his dresser. Other than that, they are completely different. Will is a practiced roper and rider on his father’s ranch in Colorado and his most fervent wish is to become a professional rodeo cowboy. Denny likes to ride, but if left alone, would prefer to daydream over an anthill all day. Will’s thoughts are as quick and sharp as the falcons that circle the endless skies over the ranch, while Denny’s are hampered by his Down’s Syndrome. All his life, Will has had to watch over Denny and keep him safe. Now, he has a chance to compete in his first rodeo and start a new life as a professional cowboy, free of Denny forever…But after all this time, can he really stand to leave his only brother behind? And will Denny, strong-willed in his own right, allow Will to leave? This unusual historical fiction, set in 1925, is a great guy story about the meaning of brotherhood and family. But don’t let the warm and fuzzy sentiment fool you—Nuzem packs plenty of action in this slim novel, including an electrifying rattlesnake showdown, a flash flood, and of course, plenty of rodeo bucking and slamming.
Saint Iggy by K.L. Going
Sixteen-year-old Iggy wants to do something great with his life, he just doesn’t have the tools. His parents are drug addicts, his apartment building is a den of down-and-outers and his only friend is a pseudo-hippie, law school dropout named Mo. But when Mo mentions getting some money off his wealthy, too-nice mom, Iggy sees his chance to turn his life around. He just knows that if Mo’s mom comes through he will be able to make his own mom come home, get his act together at school, and rescue that sad, gray girl he saw sitting all alone at a party. What Iggy doesn’t know yet is that by just being himself, he is going to do something great for Mo and his mom, something that will allow him to make the kind of sacrifice usually reserved for saints…sad, poignant, and powerful, Saint Iggy will leave you thinking about the ways you can help make the lives of the people around you a little better.
Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo
Why can’t Nick Park score? Is it because he’s just too desperate around the female objects of his desire, and has been since he discovered Playboy in third grade? Is it because he lives on uncool Summit Road while all the popular kids live up in the tony suburb of Renfield Hills? Is it because he lacks the He-Man pectorals of his fellow varsity soccer players no matter how many push-ups he does? (I mean, GOD, he’s up to 50!) Or could it be that everyone thinks he is a “whitewashed Banana”—white on the inside and yellow (Korean) on the outside? Nick’s secret fear is that his very Korean-ness in the lily white suburb of Renfield Connecticut is what’s keeping him from realizing his dream of getting past third base with a girl – ANY girl. Deeply funny and painfully realistic, David Yoo’s novel does what Melvin Burgess’s flashy Doing It fell short of—gives readers the true inner life of an adolescent boy, warts and all. It isn’t pretty, and it isn’t at all comfortable, but man oh man, is it compulsively readable. A+++!
Funny Little Monkey by Andrew Auseon
In clearly the best debut of 2005 so far, a pissed off teenage midget named Arty screws with his bullying fraternal twin’s mind by hiring a skinhead named Kerouac to come up with a prank so diabolical, it will set their entire school on a mad goose chase for a giant, concrete….turtle. Weird? Yes. Bizarre? Heck ya! One of the most original coming of age stories I’ve ever read? Abso-frickin’-lutely. If you’re into David Sedaris or like-minded writers who pull no punches when dealing with the absurdity of life, you simply cannot afford to miss Funny Little Monkey.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Miles is looking for the “Great Perhaps,” and he knows he’s not going to find it in any of the ordinary places. So he’s off to boarding school, where he will be free to reinvent himself and shed his safe (read, “boring”) image. Once ensconced at Culver Creek, he is befriended by the Colonel, a Culver Creek veteran who shows him the ropes, and the unbelievably sexy Alaska, who’s husky voice and gorgeous face keep him up at night. Miles finally learns what it is like to belong, as he is adopted into Alaska’s inner circle and nicknamed “Pudge,” (because he is so skinny) The novel starts each chapter with a countdown that is marching towards what? Miles’ discovery of his “great perhaps”? He and Alaska’s first kiss? Or something deeper, more sinister? As Alaska’s self destructive behavior is demonstrated over and over, readers will begin to fear not only for her, but also for the fragile Miles. Head over heels for the first time in his life, what will Miles do if something happens to Alaska? Is this your typical coming of age novel? Yes, but in many ways it is so much more. If you’re tired of the same old “life lesson learned” YA novel, try Looking for Alaska. I promise you’ll find something different and better within these pages.
The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff
During the late 70’s and early 80’s, Jacob Green comes of age in a Jewish family where his narcissistic father Abram rules supreme. There is no getting around his father’s demand for perfection in all things, so Jacob just tries to hide his worsening learning disability from Abram’s prying eyes. He lives a vicarious life through his older brother, Asher, who never shrinks from confronting their father, and often belittles the one thing Abram reveres most–their Jewish religion. Jacob also escapes by having “unthinkable thoughts”–fantasies about his hippie babysitter and what he wishes he could REALLY write on his bar mitzvah thank you cards. But when Jacob’s mother Claire leaves Abram for another man, the shaky family finally falls apart and Jacob is left to pick up the pieces of his father’s shattered ego. You may have noticed that the author shares a last name with a certain brilliant actor/writer who penned the incredibly cool “Garden State” screenplay. You go on with your bad selves, burgeoning literary genius Braff brothers!!