cover image Been Clever Forever

Been Clever Forever

Bruce Stone. HarperCollins Publishers, $14.95 (376pp) ISBN 978-0-06-025918-1

Narrator Stephen is smart, and that has been getting him in trouble since he started first grade. His notoriety has followed him to his new high school, where, as always, his every act backfires. When he is accused of trashing the biology lab, his new girlfriend Peggy (ever in search of a cause) leads a group that turns him into a hero and elects him student president. Pretty soon, Stephen finds himself caught in the middle of the conflicting expectations of the school authorities, Peggy, his divorced parents and his seemingly insane biology teacher. It isn't until Stephen acts on his ownrather spectacularlythat he sees that his first duty is to himself. This book does not focus on one specific problem or issue; instead, there is a complex interweaving of themes, written with a satisfying, sophisticated tone. At almost 400 pages, the bookby the author of Half Nelson, Full Nelson gives readers a chance to immerse themselves in Stephen's world for a good chunk of time. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)