Books with author Ron Koertge

Lately life has not been easy for Walker. His father has died, his girlfriend has moved away and the family finances are in a shambles. Finally, though, 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 getting a job. Only it's not your average, run-of-the-mill mum's job. Walker's mother is going to be a stripper. What if his friends find out? What if Rachel finds out? Meanwhile, Walker's father has left him a piece of land on which Rachel's father is planning to build a mall. Walker must go about the hard work of farming the land - and the hard work of being in love for the first time.

Larry, Teresa, and Elliot are so tight, there's no room in their circle for more than three: boy, girl, boy. And when they graduate, they plan to move to California to start their real lives--together. But who are they fooling? Larry is gay and trying to come to terms with his sexuality. Teresa is tired of hanging out with boys she loves who don't want to be her boyfriend. And Elliot is realizing that he may like himself more if he isn't always in the shadow of his friends. This is a wry, surprising, and insightful story about three best friends who each learn how tough it is to be yourself. Includes an interview with the author.

Larry, Teresa, and Elliot are so tight, there's no room in their circle for any more than three: boy, girl, boy. That's just how it is. And when they graduate in a few months, they're moving to California to begin their real lives--together. Or that's the plan, anyway. But who are they fooling? Larry is gay and still trying to coming to terms with his sexuality. Teresa is tired of hanging out with two boys she loves who aren't interested in being her boyfriend. And Elliot--sweet, handsome, but not the brightest--is finally considering the idea that he may in fact like himself more when he's not in the shadow of his two best friends. From the celebrated author of Stoner & Spaz and Margaux with an X, here is a wry, surprising, and insightful book about how tough it is to simply be yourself.

Could life as a foster kid lead to unexpected benefits? A teenager’s link to animals gives way to human connection in a smart, incisive new novel.Sixteen-year-old Ted O’Connor’s parents just died in a fiery car crash, and now he’s stuck with a set of semi-psycho foster parents, two foster brothers — Astin, the cocky gearhead, and C.W., the sometimes gangsta — and an inner-city high school full of delinquents. He’s having pretty much the worst year of his miserable life. Or so he thinks. Is it possible that becoming an orphan is not the worst thing that could have happened to him?Master novelist Ron Koertge brings his best work yet, a smart, surprising story full of trademark wit and sharp insight about a boy learning to run with a new pack.

A trip out West to work at a racetrack — and a sojourn with a sophisticated gay uncle — bring unexpected discoveries in this quick-witted coming-of-age novel by the author of STONER & SPAZ and MARGAUX WITH AN X.I was in the West. The Old West. The Wild West! A whole summer in a new place: a place away from my parents, a place so hot the girls probably wore bikinis to church, a place where I'd take a giant step toward my dream: becoming a vet. A place where — who knows? — anything might happen.From the moment sixteen-year-old Billy steps off the train in Tucson, he knows this will be a summer unlike any he's seen in small-town Bradleyville, Missouri. For starters, he's staying with his cool gay uncle, who has managed to get him a job at the racetrack caring for horses. Still, Billy doesn't expect the horseracing world to be quite as rough and tumble as this — toiling side by side with a macho survivalist and falling hard for the feisty, romance-shy "exercise girl" Cara Mae. With his trademark fast-paced dialogue filled with wit and compassion, Ron Koertge tells the tale of an insecure teen who discovers that gaining stature involves more than Stetsons and boots — and that lessons on love and manhood come from the places you least expect.

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.