Confess-O-Rama

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A lonely teenage boy confesses his secrets to a self-help hotline. But there's more to Confess-o-rama than meets the eye. And the boy's kooky feminist girlfriend seems to know its secret. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

The ALAN Review - Judy Beckman

Tony finds the "Confess-o-rama" phone number inviting. Admitting his grief and "Éspilling his gutsÉ ." to a sympathetic machine might be helpful. Since the death of his father and four stepfathers, his own losses are ignored as his mother becomes increasingly emotionally dependent on him. Thus burdened and constantly moving, Tony enters West Paradise High as only one of his brief-stay schools. Insulating himself against another move, he is determined to be the generic student with no friends. Then he meets zany Jordan, a cause- touting artist hiding her pain behind a brash exterior. They become unlikely friends until Tony discovers who listens to the "Confess-o-rama" tapes. Koertge's well-placed humor softens the insensitivity and betrayal these genuine and unique characters face. Readers in grades 9 Ð 12 will laugh out loud at the eccentric characters and nod knowingly at their struggles for respect in their suspended-in-time world of adolescence.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10For Tony, it's another new beginning, albeit temporary. His mother's fourth husband has died and they have just settled into a borrowed apartment in West Paradise until all the probate stuff gets settled, and Tony is starting at another new high school. He doesn't want to get involved with anyone, since his mom needs so much of his emotional attention. But there's this girl...When Tony meets Jordan, she is wearing all black, fastened with chains and padlocks and a big sign that says "Instant Chastity." She intrigues him like no one else he's ever met. Confused over his feelings, Tony repeatedly calls a self-help hotline called Confess-O-Rama, which guarantees anonymity. He reveals his attraction to Jordan and his ambiguity of emotions about his mother's role as professional widow. He isn't aware (until the end of the book) that Jordan runs Confess-O-Rama and is using all the dialogue for an auditory art exhibit that she's been working on. Koertge's quirky characters and snappy, humorous dialogue, along with unique situations (how many kids' mothers have four dead husbands?) and universal themes of finding one's place in this world make this book a wonderful read. It's sure to be a big favorite among teens.Susan R. Farber, Chappaqua Library, NY

Kirkus Reviews

Two stressed teens help each other out in this overpopulated but polished suburban comedy from Koertge (Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright, 1994, etc.)

The deaths of four husbands in succession having turned his mother into a grief junkie, and Tony is cast in the role of caregiver: He keeps her medication straight, jogs her elbow when she zones out, does most of the housework, and persuades her to eat. Unable to develop a social life, he finds solace in the kitchen and becomes an outstanding cook. His hope of staying invisible at a new school dissipates when he meets Jordan, a pushy classmate with a taste in apparel that runs to brassieres made from headlights and small dartboards; as she battles his reserve, he expertly rescues her from culinary and other disasters, meanwhile baring his soul to the anonymous Confess-O-Rama hotline. Though inflated by a few too many pointless or satiric cameos, the background cast displays an appealing mixture of wisdom and quirkiness, and the main players are far from stereotyped. Readers are likely to remember Tony for his kitchen skills, but he shows the stuff he's made of when—even after learning that Confess-O-Rama is Jordan's answering machine—he stands by her (with a couple of artichokes taped to his chest) after her sartorial nonconformity lands her in hot water with school authorities. Koertge takes some potshots at the art world and the usual teen novel targets as he explores an unconventional friendship with sensitivity.