Finished two "thin" ones yesterday -- Stoner & Spaz (an unlikely friendship between a film-obsessed boy with cerebral palsy and a drug addicted girl) by Ron Koertge on tape in the car and If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (tragic interracial romance, late last night.
If You Come Softly
Ages 9-12
181 pages
Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2000
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Stoner and Spaz
Narrated by Josh Hamilton
Listening Library, Inc., 2003
2 Cassettes, 2 hrs. 55 min.
Grades 9+
PW review of the tapes: "With a youthful edge to his voice, Hamilton brings a rich credibility to the roles of teenagers Ben and Colleen, stars of Koertge's sharp and emotionally moving YA novel. As two very different kinds of outcasts, drug-addicted Colleen and cerebral palsy-afflicted Ben forge an unlikely friendship that helps each of them blossom. And in the author's true-to-life style, setbacks, successes and uncharted territory await the duo on the path of self-discovery. Hamilton handily masters Koertge's smart, contemporary repartee between the protagonists, capturing each note of sarcasm and humor as well as lots of film and pop-culture references. Hamilton also adds welcome shades of color to supporting characters, including Ben's stuffy, overprotective grandmother. This winning performance, which envisions Ben and Colleen as likable and sympathetic-warts and all-will please fans of Koertge's work and surely gain him new admirers."