"Aaron Starmer skillfully welds sharp humor, deep loss, and roaring escapades. Truly the smartest and funniest book about spontaneous combustion you will ever read." —John Green, #1 bestselling author of The Fault In Our Stars
A TIME magazine Top 10 YA & Children's Book of 2016!
An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
With all the perfectly lovely young adult novels out there, you decided to check this one out? It’s got spontaneously combusting teenagers in it, dude. Not the slow burning type either. We’re talking the randomly exploding variety. Seniors in high school just walking along, heading to class, whistling Beyoncé, when—WA-BAM!— they’re suddenly dripping off the lockers.
Is that really something you’re into?
Confession: I’m actually kinda into that too. So, now that we’ve established we’re both thoroughly weird and, I assume, thoroughly open-minded, we can give it shot, right? Let’s at least read the opening chapters of this bad-boy and see if it features some of the more intriguing elements such as...
- Exploding teenagers (obviously).
- Hallucinogenic mushrooms.
- Pyromaniacal boyfriends.
- Triplet toddlers in powder blue suits.
- Amur leopards and doomsday preppers.
- A foul-mouthed female POTUS.
- Ashtanga yoga.
- Youtube sensations.
- Self-driving Priuses.
- Rogue FBI agents.
- Mad scientists.
- Homecoming.
- Spring break.
- Prom.
- And … Jennifer Lawrence.
Notice how I put Jennifer Lawrence last. She’s in the book, so it’s not cheating. And hey, if it takes America’s most beloved movie star to sell this thing, then that’s what it takes.
So, in closing: Jennifer Lawrence.
"Wildly inventive." — Entertainment Weekly "Must List"
"This comically surreal novel that will blow your mind.”— People Magazine
★ "A blood-soaked, laugh-filled, tear-drenched, endlessly compelling read." — Kirkus, starred review
★ "A wholly original YA tale of identity, friendship, love, lust, and gory, grisly death." — SLJ, starred review
"Bursting with heartache and gore, Mara’s narration appeals directly to readers’
senses of horror and humor." — Horn Book
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“Best described as quirky, Alex McKenna’s narration makes the unbelievable believable. Listeners may feel like they’re are sitting at the Food Court conversing with other teens. While the story twists in horrific ways, it’s also humorous and realistic. Through tone and inflection, distinct personalities emerge—from the quiet, misunderstood male to the overachieving, ever-good-natured best friend. One can hear each eye roll, dismissive shake of the head, and flick of the wrist, and the wriggling bounces of excitement prevalent in high-school storytelling. Teen listeners will most likely appreciate these somewhat heavy-handed but age-appropriate oral gestures.”
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AudioFile