Koertge, Ron Books

Stoner & Spaz

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 62 new & used starting at $2.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> Drugs
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Colleen Minou is a hard-core stoner, a girl whose motto is, "I'll get high and do anything." Ben Bancroft is a movie-addicted preppie who suffers from cerebral palsy, "the resident spaz, invisible as the sign that says NO RUNNING, the one no one pays attention to." Together, they form the most unlikely couple since Dharma and Greg. He's Brooks Brothers, she's Salvation Army. He's never even smoked a cigarette, she's got 20 different chemicals running through her veins. But when these two lonely teens meet one night at Ben's favorite hang, the Rialto (a classic film theatre that "smells like butter from the Paleozoic"), sparks fly. At least for Ben they do. Maybe it's because Colleen's the first girl to ever really notice him, to have the nerve to tease him about his disability instead of pretend it's not there. For once, Ben is actually more interested in his real life than a movie. Colleen takes him clubbing, lights his first joint, even challenges him to direct his own movie. But when Ben, in turn, dares her to stay straight, Colleen admits that, despite his devotion, she still needs the drugs to "smooth out the edges." Is Ben capable of convincing her otherwise? If not, how will he ever be cured of his Colleen addiction?

Author of the acclaimed Brimstone Journals, Ron Koertge's wry depiction of this car wreck of a relationship is sharply observed and wholly original. Teen readers will have a tough time turning the last page of this oddly endearing, screwball love story. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Heart Of The City

Ron Koertge

List Price: $15.95 By: Scholastic Amazon Marketplace: 14 new & used starting at $0.90

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Diversity 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Joy and her mother, who works at an ambulance call center, and her father, who is an artist, are moving. They are moving from a suburb to a home her father renovated himself on a street in the middle of the inner city. He thinks that he will be able to be more creative there, because the street is so alive and interesting. Joy is upset about leaving her best friend behind. Joy's mother is terrified about the new neighborhood. However, they decide to give it a try because Joy's father is so adamant about it.

When they first move in, Joy's mother is afraid of everything. She doesn't want Joy to leave the house by herself, go anywhere, or meet any of the people living on their street. But Joy's father insists this is a safe neighborhood and encourages her to explore their little street. Joy soon makes a friend, a girl who lives near her but who is very different from her.

Little by little, Joy's family, the only white family on the street, is accepted and learns to love living there. Then some young men from a bad part of town start eyeing a vacant house on their street. The neighbors think they want to use it for a crack house, and that would affect everyone who lives there. Joy would like to save the house and the neighborhood, but is she strong enough to do it?

I liked the openness of Joy's father, the way he moved into this neighborhood of people so different from himself and just made his family a part of it all. I thought the reactions of Joy's old friend when she came to visit were pretty realistic. However, I didn't think it was realistic that Joy and Neesha would become such good friends so quickly. I think they'd both have prejudices about each other that would need to be dealt with before they could really be friends.

Editorial Review:

After she and her parents move to an ethnically mixed inner city neighborhood, ten-year-old Joy and her new friend Neesha decide to do something to keep drug dealers off their block.

Deadville

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $12.74 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $3.94

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Courtesy of Teens Read Too 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The most popular girl in school fell off a horse and she's now in a coma in a nearby hospital. Ryan finds himself drawn to her bedside, even though he is most definitely not in her social circle or even the distant stratosphere of her world. Does he visit her because she is perhaps the hottest girl in school, or because he hopes to move in on her absent boyfriend's territory, or because two years ago he lost his own sister in her battle against cancer?

The strange thing is that Ryan doesn't really know why he visits this girl in a coma. It's just something he feels he must do.

Running parallel to the Charlotte Silano coma-girl story are several other captivating plot lines.

Ryan's visits to the hospital allow him to meet and develop a relationship with Betty, another girl from school who previously didn't really hang in the same crowd with Ryan. There is also the strained relationship between Ryan and his parents. He maintains a fairly normal mother/son relationship, but the connection between father and son has deteriorated to almost nothing since the death of his sister, Molly. It's not just a problem for Ryan, since his father has seemingly cut ties with his wife, as well. He has changed his whole lifestyle, right down to his choice of a vegan menu. Ryan's mother has chosen to throw herself into yoga and meditation to cope with the loss of her daughter. It seems a healthy avenue to stress relief, but she appears to be getting a bit too close to her instructor, causing Ryan to fear for his parents' marriage.

One benefit of Ryan's frequent visits to Charlotte's hospital room is that he is putting some distance between his so-called friend, Andy, and the never-ending supply of pot that has so far been getting him through his periods of grief. Is it possible to stay sober and confront tough times long enough to pull himself together? That's the question facing Ryan for most of DEADVILLE.

Ron Koertge successfully takes readers into Ryan's world of emotional stress and pain. Everyone has their own way of coping, and DEADVILLE illustrates them all in a direct, straight-forward style.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Editorial Review:

Ron Koertge's spot-on repartee highlights the wry, poignant tale of a teen who is numbed by loss but finds an unusual route to reclaiming his life.

Listening to music 24/7. Hanging out with his slacker-stoner friend, Andy. Basically, Ryan's been sleepwalking through life since his younger sister died of cancer two years ago. But when Charlotte Silano — a gorgeous, popular senior way out of his league — has a riding accident and falls into a coma, Ryan finds himself drawn to her hospital room almost every day, long after her friends stop coming around. And oddly enough, Ryan seems to be slowly snapping out of his own brand of coma — working out at the gym, adopting a cool vintage hat, even easing into a relationship with Betty, a classmate who has her own reasons for visiting Charlotte. With his incisive humor and quick-fire repartee, Ron Koertge explores the unpredictable workings of grief and the healing power of self-reinvention.

Strays

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $8.77 List Price: $8.77 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: Walker Books Ltd Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $6.70

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The perfect book to take to the park and dig into on a warm summer day 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

It's in our nature to resist change. The strange and unfamiliar are hard enough to accept when we know it's coming, but when change is thrust upon us, we can either surrender to the despair that wants to come along with it or we can rise to the challenge and figure out how these new things fit into our lives. And then there are those who think they're surrendering but answer the challenge with a rare blend of courage and insight.

In STRAYS, we meet 16-year-old Ted O'Connor, recently placed in foster care following the untimely death of his parents. In the care of the Rafters, he meets C.W. and Astin, two other boys who introduce Ted to life as a foster child, a world seemingly apt for someone who now considers himself a "stray." As Ted acclimates to a new school and tries to process life without his parents, he comes to understand a self-reliance he never knew in his old life. His ability to communicate with animals --- he has conversations with several --- means he never has to be alone. But Ted knows he can't rely on just animals for companionship. The question is: Can he learn how to live with people in the same way?

Anyone familiar with Koertge's past novels knows to expect a taut, multi-layered narrative. Indeed, STRAYS delivers in spades, offering readers a deceptively simple story that is rich with a gamut of levels to explore and contemplate. The heart of the story is Ted's journey as he struggles to figure out what life means on his own and comes to understand that there is a home out there for any stray willing to make one.

I found myself most intrigued by the Rafters, Ted's foster parents. Mr. Rafter could easily have been the stereotyped taskmaster, and while he certainly doesn't hold back his opinions, you feel sympathy for him as he tries to keep moving forward in life while caring for his addled wife. Koertge also does an excellent job of placing Ted in the middle, unsure how to respond to either parent but determined to listen to the advice of his foster brother, Astin, and toe the line until he turns 18.

The fantastical element --- Ted's ability to communicate with animals --- is probably the least developed aspect of the book. I was never sure if he was actually having the conversations or if they were in his head. It's an interesting element, but I don't think it accomplishes what the author wants. Still, there is no denying the power in Koertge's storytelling and how he is able to handle the difficult topic of losing one's parents and treat it with respect and sensitivity.

The perfect book to take to the park and dig into on a warm summer day, STRAYS is funny, touching, thoughtful and a must-read for Koertge fans.

--- Reviewed by Brian Farrey

Editorial Review:

A teenager's link to animals gives way to human connection in this smart, incisive new novel.Sixteen-year-old Ted O'Connor's parents just died in a fiery car crash, and now he's stuck with a set of semi-psycho foster parents, two foster brothers - Astin, the cocky gearhead, and C.W., the sometimes gangsta - and an inner-city high school full of delinquents. He's having pretty much the worst year of his miserable life. Or so he thinks. Is it possible that becoming an orphan is not the worst thing that could have happened to him?

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $1.57

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A straight-talking, fourteen-year-old first baseman, benched by mono, decides to take a swing at writing poetry in Ron Koertge’s clever, compelling novel written in free verse.

"Their pitcher walks our leadoff man. Greg moves him up to second with a perfect sacrifice. Fabian loops one into right.

I’m up. Two on, one out. I’m the cleanup man. My job is to bring these guys home."

MVP Kevin Boland gets the news that he has mono and won’t be seeing a baseball field for a while, and he suddenly finds himself scrawling a poem down the middle of a page in his journal. To get some help, he cops a poetry book from his dad’s den. Before Kevin knows it, he’s writing in verse about stuff like, Will his jock friends give up on him? What’s the deal with girlfriends? Surprisingly enough, after his health improves, he keeps on writing - about the smart-talking Latina girl who thinks poets are cool, even about his mother, whose death is a still-tender loss for which he finally finds the words.

Written in free verse with examples of several poetic forms slipped into the mix, including a sonnet, haiku, pastoral, and even a pantoum, this funny, poignant story by a master of dialogue is an English teacher’s dream - sure to hook poetry lovers, baseball fanatics, mono recoverers, and everyone in between.

Boy Girl Boy

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $6.95 List Price: $6.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harcourt Paperbacks Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.48

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Social Situations -> Friendship -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Social Situations -> Self-Esteem & Self-Respect -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A reassuring fable promising that change doesn't mean the end of previous dreams and friendships 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

In BOY GIRL BOY Larry, Teresa and Elliot are an inseparable threesome who spend all their time together. The rest of the world sees them as a unit, boy-girl-boy. They have always dreamed of moving to California after high school, coming up with elaborate plans about where they will live, what car they will drive, and what jobs they will work. With high school ending and the possibilities of adult life appearing on the horizon, each begins to wonder who they are when they are apart, or how to tell the others of their secret talents and ambitions that don't fit with the group plan.

Larry is gay and still coming to terms with his sexuality. His friends accept his sexuality, but he's not sure he can introduce his new lover to them. Teresa is athletic, always running from the things that frighten her, and frustrated that the two most important men in her life don't appreciate her romantically. Elliot is a basketball star who secretly feels much smarter and happier when he spends time away from his two best friends.

Each of the characters has some difficult aspect relating to their proper families. Larry's mother is a medium. Elliot's parents are extremely religious. Teresa's mother abandoned her with her abusive father. There is a sense that they turn to one another for support. The insularity of their friendship protects them from those things that might harm them, but it also prevents them from growing in the outside world.

BOY GIRL BOY divides the narration among each of the characters, rotating between each voice. The exploration of the friendship is insightful, effectively capturing the intensity of adolescent attachment, as well as the relief each character feels at finally getting room to breathe. However, it lacks some of the anguish that occurs as friendships end or change. The characters in this book are also particularly lucky that they are all ready to end one thing and begin another at the same time. Both Larry and Elliot have new relationships by the end of the book, while Teresa seems to be overcoming an eating disorder and starts tutoring.

Ron Koertge, author of numerous books for young adults, has a reputation for writing about unusual relationships between young people without relying on stereotypes or contrived endings. His book STONER & SPAZ about the friendship between a wild party girl and a boy with cerebral palsy is convincing, moving and realistic. BOY GIRL BOY doesn't have the same narrative or emotional punch, but is in many ways more optimistic. The book reads like a reassuring fable, promising that the inevitability of change doesn't always have to mean the end of all previous dreams and friendships.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

Editorial Review:

Larry, Teresa, and Elliot are so tight, there's no room in their circle for more than three: boy, girl, boy. And when they graduate, they plan to move to California to start their real lives--together.

But who are they fooling? Larry is gay and trying to come to terms with his sexuality. Teresa is tired of hanging out with boys she loves who don't want to be her boyfriend. And Elliot is realizing that he may like himself more if he isn't always in the shadow of his friends. This is a wry, surprising, and insightful story about three best friends who each learn how tough it is to be yourself.

Includes an interview with the author.

The Brimstone Journals

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 64 new & used starting at $0.19

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Poetry -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Poetry -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Branston (a.k.a. Brimstone) High School Class of 2001 has got it all: Damon is the jock, Meredith the slut, Jennifer the good girl, David the computer game addict, Kitty the anorexic, Neesha the sistah, Rob the stud, Sheila the lesbian. And Boyd the angry and scared neo-Nazi with an arsenal in his basement and a list of "everybody who ever blew me off, flipped me off, or pissed me off."

Through a series of poetic journal entries from 15 students, author Ron Koertge chronicles the sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and ultimately chilling lives of fictional high school students in contemporary America. With just a few words from each character in each entry, readers glean more than a glimpse into their complex and often troubled worlds. Koertge's characterizations are compelling, if clichéd, although omitting two or three of the student roles might have made keeping up with who's who a little easier. Social messages covering racism, classism, homophobia, and an entire high school melting pot of "isms," come across a little heavy-handedly, but work well as an intentionally pointed illustration of the perils young people face today. Subject matter and language make this appropriate for older readers. Koertge is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Confess-O-Rama. (Older teens) --Emilie Coulter

On the Fringe

Chris Crutcher, Ron Koertge, Graham Salisbury, Nancy Werlin, Francess Lin Lantz, Angela Johnson, Jack Gantos, M. E. Kerr, Will Weaver, Alden R. Carter, Joan Bauer

List Price: $17.99 By: Dial Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $0.89

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( C ) -> Crutcher, Chris
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( G ) -> Gantos, Jack
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In every school at every grade, there's a pecking order among students-an in crowd and those outside it, who are often ridiculed mercilessly for the "crime" of being different. This powerful anthology explores the teen outsider experience in electrifying, never-before-published stories by eleven of today's most acclaimed YA authors. A tomboy finds the relief of self-expression through her music, while in another tale a relentless bully tests the faith of an intensely religious girl. A cheerleader discovers that the true soul of her school can't be found within the cool clique; a football player finally stands up for a harassed fellow student; and a boy watches in horror as the school "freak" marches into his classroom with a loaded rifle.

Offering insights into popularity and peer pressure, nonconformity and persecution, acceptance and hate, these riveting, provocative tales will leave readers thinking and start them talking.

Stories by:

Joan Bauer
Alden R. Carter
Chris Crutcher
Jack Gantos Angela Johnson
M. E. Kerr
Ron Koertge
Francess Lantz
Graham Salisbury
Will Weaver
Nancy Werlin

Where the Kissing Never Stops

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When a teenage boy's widowed mom gets a job as a stripper, it makes for some tricky social maneuvering in this coming-of-age story from the wonderfully witty Ron Koertge.

"Anyway," Sully said, "I've got just what you need to take your mind off your troubles."
"Thirty pounds of chocolate decadence?"
"A girl."
"I don't need a girl."
"You do. Now more than ever."
"And what would I tell her my mother did for a living?"
"Lie."

Life has not been easy lately for sixteen-year-old Walker. His father has died, his girlfriend has moved away, and the family finances are in a shambles. Finally it seems as if things are looking up: Walker has a date with Rachel, the beautiful new girl in his class, and his mother has announced she's gotten a job. Only not your average, run-of-the-mill mom's job. Walker's mother is going to work as a stripper. What if his friends find out? What if Rachel finds out? Coincidentally, Walker's dad has left him a piece of land on which Rachel's father is scheming to build a mall, and after seeing the land, Walker goes about the hard work of farming it - and the hard work of being in love for the first time. Propelled by Ron Koertge's rapid-fire repartee, this is the funny and touching tale of a winningly honest protagonist discovering the perils and rewards of family, friendship, and romance.

Margaux with an X

Ron Koertge

Amazon Price: $10.94 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( K ) -> Koertge, Ron
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A sharp-tongued beauty meets a quirky, quick-witted loner in this funny, poignant new novel from the author of SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP and STONER & SPAZ.

She's drop-dead gorgeous, has a razor-sharp wit, and is a charter member of the school's most popular clique. Margaux (with an x) is the dream catch of every teenage male within her radar. Encouraged by her caustic friend Sara, she's perfected the art of the sarcastic tease, while keeping her sweaty-palmed suitors just far enough at bay. It's a dreary game, but at least she's not home with Mom, the shopping channel addict, Dad, the professional gambler, and a certain haunting secret from her past. Then along comes Danny Riley — a scrawny, weak-chinned, animal-loving oddball with a quaint chivalrous streak, a kindhearted kid who can match her banter to the polysyllable and who harbors a few painful memories of his own.

Only in the hands of Ron Koertge would such an unlikely pair find each other — and reward the reader with such satisfying, straight-shooting repartee, full of angst and wisdom, humor and heart.