Wise Young Fool

Gr 10 Up—This coming-of-age story is told in alternating story lines, leading up to Ritchie Sudden's arrest and his time in a juvenile detention center. Three years before the story begins, the teen's sister died in a drunk-driving accident, his father left and married a younger woman, and his mother started dating a younger woman. Ritchie picked up the guitar and poured his emotions into it. Now, he is entering his junior year in high school. He is in a hard-core band with his only friend, El Hella. They are trying to build their band, while Ritchie jumps from one bad relationship to the next and commits a felony. When the band rises to stardom, Ritchie has an emotional explosion that ends in his arrest. His time in juvie is told through short journal entries. His plan to keep from getting beaten up is to be antisocial and keep his head down. This doesn't work out and two inmates try to kill him. He narrowly escapes by pulling off an incredible stunt and finally comes out of his shell. There are a lot of messages about the importance of safe driving and staying away from drugs and alcohol without being preachy. This is not a typical rock band story; it is actually interesting. The author does a brilliant job getting into the head of a troubled teen and does not shy away from racy topics.—Erik Carlson, White Plains Public Library, NY