Rats Saw God

Description

For Steve York, life was good. He had a 4.0 GPA, friends he could trust, and a girl he loved. Now he spends his days smoked out, not so much living as simply existing.

But his herbal endeavors -- and personal demons -- have lead to a severe lack of motivation. Steve's flunking out, but if he writes a one-hundred-page paper, he can graduate.

Steve realizes he must write what he knows. And through telling the story of how he got to where he is, he discovers exactly where he wants to be....

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In order to pass English class and graduate, 18-year-old Steve York has to write a 100- page essay about his life. What sounds like a run-of-the-mill writing assignment, however, becomes an excuse for Steve to reflect on the last four years (from Texas freshman to California senior), and figure out where it all went wrong. Maybe it was when he discovered that he really couldn't relate to his father, the Famous Astronaut. Or it could be because his "heart had been run through frappé, puree, and liquefy on a love blender" by his ex-girlfriend, Wanda "Dub" Varner. No matter where the finger of blame ends up pointing, it's a wild ride of self-enlightenment as Steve discovers that not all relationships are permanent, and that some--like the one with his dad--can be mended with a little work. With Steve, author Rob Thomas has taken a teenage outsider and given him a funny, intelligent voice: "There are those males who merely fill ear holes with tiny studs hardly big enough to offend a Marine. Not me. Most days I wear big hoops. When I combine the look with a doo rag, I'm a regular pirate." As with his other novels--Doing Time and Slave Day--Thomas proves his thorough grasp of young adult issues and emotions. Teens will appreciate the author's empathy and humor, and teachers and parents will examine his work for clues to the mystery of adolescence. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

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Doing Time

Description

This collection of ten short stories by acclaimed YA author Rob Thomas details high school students fulfilling one of their requirements for graduation: 200 hours of community services. Returning to the high school setting of his novel "Slave Day", "Thomas challenges readers to look beneath the surface of these typical teenagers and realize that they are rarely the people they first seem to be. . . . The stories are well-written, interesting, provocative, and humorous, and often have a surprise ending" ("School Library Journal", starred review). An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

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Green Thumb

Description

Thirteen-year-old genius Grady Jacobs thinks junior high is a snore. His radical science experiments have earned him plenty of national awards, but not a lot of friends. So when an invitation comes to join the famous scientist, Dr. Carter, in the Brazilian rain forest, Grady is on the next plane to the Amazon. But Grady's ultimate field trip turns ultimately awful when he discovers what Dr. Carter is really up to: he isn't there to save the rain forest -- he is there to destroy it! Can one eight-grade science whiz put a stop to Dr. Carter's evil plans? He can when he is joined by the Urah-Wau tribe of Indians and a supernatural power that no amount of science can ever explain.

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Socs and Greasers: Behind The Scenes of The Outsiders from Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends

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Merton & Sufism: The Untold Story: A Complete Compendium (The Fons Vitae Thomas Merton series)

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The Chronicles Of Life And Death

Description

What happens when you inexplicably find yourself stuck in the grey area between good and evil?
Where would you draw the line?

A young man named Leo finds himself stuck in the middle of just such a conundrum after a freak accident; In the wrong place at the RIGHT time his life begins unraveling and he is faced with a very real problem, Step up to the plate and make the choices and sacrifices necessary to become the hero the world needs, or become it's greatest villain through his own inaction and cowardice.

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What happens when you inexplicably find yourself stuck in the grey area between good and evil?
Where would you draw the line?

A young man named Leo finds himself stuck in the middle of just such a conundrum after a freak accident; In the wrong place at the RIGHT time his life begins unraveling and he is faced with a very real problem, Step up to the plate and make the choices and sacrifices necessary to become the hero the world needs, or become it's greatest villain through his own inaction and cowardice.

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