Koertge, Ron. Stoner & Spaz.

KOERTGE, Ron. Stoner & Spaz. Candlewick Press. 169p. c2002. 0-7636-2150-1. $6.99. S*

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2002: Ben, age 16, is so embarrassed by his cerebral palsy that he spends much of his time hiding out alone in the dark of a movie theater--until he runs into a classmate named Colleen there, a pale, tattooed, blunt-spoken druggie with her own demons to escape. A tentative friendship develops and grows into something more as Colleen draws Ben out of his shell, away from the overprotective grandmother who is raising him, and tries to get herself clean of drugs. At the same time, a new neighbor offers Ben the opportunity to make his own movies, and he interviews fellow students for a film he calls High School Confidential. In the end, their trajectories are clear--Colleen sinks back into her thrill-seeking, self-destructive ways, while Ben's film gets a showing at a gallery, and an admirer plants the idea of film school.

The dialogue is what really makes this tale of an odd couple stand out. Koertge writes witty repartee that can also stab the heart, and he succeeds in conveying realistically what life is like for these two lonely teenagers struggling to overcome obstacles. (The sex, drugs and obscenities here are realistic, too.) In a way that few YA authors manage, Koertge describes the often harsh world of teenagers accurately and unsentimentally. Ben's journey to self-discovery and self-acceptance, told in his wry voice, is sad and funny, convincing and affecting. (An ALA Best Book for YAs.) Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT