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Favorite YA
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From: AlwaysErin at aol.com <AlwaysErin>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 12:15:55 EST
My absolute favorite read of the year was the YA novel THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY, by Janet Tashjian (Holt). This is a smart, fun, well-written story rich in irony. It focuses on a mysterious teen who preaches Thoreau anonymously on a website, chastising his fellow teens to not be manipulated by the media, to turn their backs on consumerism and live simply. The site becomes so popular that soon the teen has become what he preaches against, like it or not. I love that it hits the right note on so many levels, and that it so clearly feels like it will reach its intended audience--but mostly I love the genius of the foreword and afterword, in which the author explains that she was handed this story by the teen himself and did not actually write it. It turns reality on its ear in the most fabulous way.
Erin Murphy
Received on Wed 05 Dec 2001 11:15:55 AM CST
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 12:15:55 EST
My absolute favorite read of the year was the YA novel THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY, by Janet Tashjian (Holt). This is a smart, fun, well-written story rich in irony. It focuses on a mysterious teen who preaches Thoreau anonymously on a website, chastising his fellow teens to not be manipulated by the media, to turn their backs on consumerism and live simply. The site becomes so popular that soon the teen has become what he preaches against, like it or not. I love that it hits the right note on so many levels, and that it so clearly feels like it will reach its intended audience--but mostly I love the genius of the foreword and afterword, in which the author explains that she was handed this story by the teen himself and did not actually write it. It turns reality on its ear in the most fabulous way.
Erin Murphy
Received on Wed 05 Dec 2001 11:15:55 AM CST
