Where the Kissing Never Stops

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.

RON KOERTGE is the author of many prize-winning novels for teens, including STONER & SPAZ, winner of the PEN Literary Award, as well as THE ARIZONA KID, MARGAUX WITH AN X, SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP, and THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS. He teaches in the MFA in Writing for Children Program at Vermont College.