The Elephant of Surprise

Funny, openly gay high school junior Russel Middlebrook%E2%80%94the star of Hartinger's Geography Club and two sequels%E2%80%94finds the adventure he is looking for when he falls for an anti-consumerist freegan who pops out of the school Dumpster. Through Wade, Russel is exposed to new experiences (like eating roadkill) and challenging ideas ("When you don't spend your whole life looking at a television or a computer screen, you can't help but take a good look at the world%E2%80%9D). But just as their relationship turns romantic, Russel's friend Gunnar suspects that Wade and his freegan friends may be taking their beliefs to a dangerous extreme. This is an unusual story line, but, like Russel, readers may find themselves intrigued by Wade's lifestyle and beliefs. Secondary plot lines (including one about Russel's possible reconciliation with his first love, Kevin) supplement the core drama, and teens will continue to enjoy Russel's ever-humorous narration, which includes direct conversation with readers. After eating barbecued raccoon with Wade, Russel says, "If it doesn't sound romantic, you'll just have to take my word for it, because it totally, TOTALLY was.%E2%80%9D Ages 12%E2%80%93up.