My Chemical Mountain

Gr 7 Up—Jason is about to enter high school with his two best friends, dangerously confident football star Charlie Pellitero and cautious and sickly William "Cornpup" Schumacher. They live in a town all but owned by the overarching and ominous company Mareno Chem, and their noxious playgrounds are waste-coated landfills. Whether it's swimming in the polluted Two Mile Creek or dirt biking up Chemical Mountain, there's no part of Poxton that doesn't belong to them. Jason needs the distraction. Following his father's death in an accident at the plant that employs most of the town, his mother has taken to overeating. Jason can barely look at her or talk to her about anything important anymore. While the promise of a first love with girl-next-door Val is a strong possibility, there's also the looming threat of local bully Kevin Thompson, who's vowed to beat Jason up. When a town meeting gives Cornpup the chance to show off the cysts covering his back and a forum to speak out against Mareno Chem for poisoning his family and friends, a shift occurs among the three boys. This debut novel, with its detailed descriptions of the toxic landscape and dangerous antics, will likely draw male readers in, but a budding romance and subtle insight into Jason's changing relationship with his friends guarantee that there's a little something for all readers in this well-thought-out, well-executed story.—Ryan P. Donovan, New York Public Library