by John Barnes (Author)
MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR BOOK - This gripping coming-of-age novel takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the chaotic life of a quirky teen and his misfit friends.
"Darkly comic . . . as troubled, relevant, relatable and hilarious as J.D. Salinger."--
Los Angeles Times "Rarely will you read something so lovingly vulgar, so fiercely warmhearted, and so exuberantly expansive."--
Booklist, starred review
If this book was a monologue . . . it would be ****ing censored. Today is Wednesday, September 5, 1973. Welcome to the life of Karl Shoemaker, which includes:
- getting through his senior year of high school
- getting out of Lightsburg, Ohio, hole of the world
- trying to lose his virginity
- five jobs
- a dead father
- a seriously unhinged drunk mother
- a house that is basically a litter box
- his membership in the Madman Underground (a group of kids forced, for no apparent reason, to attend group therapy during school hours)
Author Biography
This is the acclaimed novelist John Barnes's first book for teenagers.
Number of Pages: 544
Dimensions: 1.42 x 8.19 x 5.59 IN
Publication Date: January 06, 2011
Accelerated Reader:
Quiz Name: Tales of the Madman Underground
Interest Level: Upper Grades, 9-12
Reading Level: 5.9
Point Value: 20
