Vote for Larryby Janet Tashjian
Publishers Weekly
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In Tashjian's clever, inspiring sequel, Josh Swensen (known to his public as Larry)—now living in Boulder, Colo., as Mark Paulson—comes clean about faking his death in The Gospel According to Larry (he refers to it as a "pseudocide"), and announces his run for the presidency. Beth, his childhood love, convinces him to return to public life ("It was time for me to contribute again"). Readers meeting Josh for the first time do not have to worry; a generous supply of Tashjian's trademark pithy footnotes fill in the back story. Here, instead of battling consumerism via a Web site, Josh (as Larry) is out trying to get young people to vote. He blasts SUV drivers, the nation's "color-coded alert system" and "politicians who [have] taken so much money from Big Business for their campaign war chests that they have to listen to their concerns." When teen supporters press for a constitutional amendment to allow 18-year-olds to be eligible for the presidency, Josh's candidacy goes from symbolic to viable. But trouble looms: betagold, the woman who exposed his identity in Gospel, is back on his trail, and there's a traitor in his camp. Josh's narration moves swiftly, and the topical yet universal themes make this book even more compelling than the first. Readers will get a charge out of Josh/Larry's fiery speeches and outrageous platform, and startling facts (e.g., "Every minute, a baby in the U.S. is born without health insurance") plus a resource list in the back (with voter registration Web sites) provide plenty of fuel for those motivated by the hero's call to action. Ages 14-up. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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School Library Journal
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Gr 9 Up-Josh (aka Larry) is back-and so are Beth, Peter, Mom's spirit at Bloomingdale's, and even his old nemesis, betagold. This time, the topic de jour is politics-the electoral game, campaign financing, crooked politicians, and the power of the vote. The story begins with Larry finding a new girlfriend who has him out shopping and wearing designer clothes, until he is kidnapped by Beth, who wants him to return home and run for state representative. But that's not enough-Larry decides to run for president. Never mind that he is only 18-Congress can change that rule! When his campaign begins to gain momentum, the story's pace picks up, and the mysterious betagold reappears. Tashjian has written another sermonizing book disguised as Larry. Not that the lessons aren't interesting-they are-but in this book, they feel more like lessons. In The Gospel According to Larry (Holt, 2001) the idea was fresh and interesting, but this time it seems almost forced. The story itself is good, but is marred by sequel syndrome, unnecessary frills, and jumpy writing. Larry's fans will eat it up, but it needs Gospel to carry its weight.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, ORCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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BookList
: From BookList, May 1, 2004, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. : Gr. 7-10. When readers left Josh Swenson, the anticonsumerism guru from The Gospel according to Larry (2001), he had faked his suicide to avoid the hoopla that was messing with his message. Here Josh finds his way back (well, his best friend, Beth, discovers him and then kidnaps him) to run for president of the U.S. Like the previous book (which probably needs to be read first), this is part allegory and part political thriller, and once again, Josh's plans to protect the planet and involve young people in the care and feeding of democracy go awry. The spirited story focuses on 18-year-old Josh's presidential campaign; although he's too young to be elected, a stunning show of support results in a constitutional amendment lowering the age of the president. However, even with the possibility of being the leader of the free world looming large, Josh still has plenty of time to decide whom he likes better--Beth or a new girl. Back matter allows readers to learn more about a handful of important political issues and informs them how to register to vote. Fans of the first book won't be disappointed in Josh/Larry's further escapades.
IleneCooper. : | distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.: |
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