Synopsis
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.
Publishers Weekly
Walker's dad is dead, his girlfriend has moved away, and he's gained weight. In other words, this is not the time for him to find out his mother has taken a job as a stripper at a nightclub. Then he meets Rachel, whose father wants to build a new mall in the area. Coincidentally, Walker's father left him a piece of land on which the mall is to be built. After farming the land, Walker decides not to sell and gets up the courage to tell Rachel about his mother. She's known all along and doesn't care. It adds up to a lot of male adolescent angst wrapped not-too-discreetly around a thin plot. Walker has some capacity for humor regarding his plights, but it doesn't sustain this one. (14-up)