Cheeseburger Subversive

Rating:
Summary: Cheeseburger Subversive is HILARIOUS!
Review: Cheeseburger Subversive is a hilarious book - I laughed through every chapter. There are a few serious moments as well, which are gripping and thought provoking.

Dak Sifter is one of the best-drawn characters I've run across in some time.

I really hope Scarsbrook writes a sequel soon - the ending begs for a follow-up. Great stuff!

Rating:
Summary: Observant and VERY funny!
Review: Cheeseburger Subversive is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It is also touching and observant in its observations of the various trials that we all go through in becoming adult - facing up to bullies, growing beyong our parents, falling in love, discovering ourselves. Scarsbrook's Dak Sifter is one of the most realistic, well-drawn characters I've encountered.

Both teens and adults will find Cheeseburger Subversive entertaining and funny. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Observant and VERY funny!
Review: Cheeseburger Subversive is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It is also touching and observant in its observations of the various trials that we all go through in becoming adult - facing up to bullies, growing beyong our parents, falling in love, discovering ourselves. Scarsbrook's Dak Sifter is one of the most realistic, well-drawn characters I've encountered.

Both teens and adults will find Cheeseburger Subversive entertaining and funny. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Very Funny and Very Real
Review: Most of Cheeseburger Subversive is a hilarious - I laughed through nearly every chapter. Many of the funniest moments elicit laughs of recognition, such as Dak Sifter's first "real job" in "Pushin' Pickle", his dealings with bullies in "Hell on WHeels" and "Dogs That Lick and Dogs That Bite", and his hilarious and relentless purstuit of Zoe Perry throughout the book. Occasionally, though, Scarbsrook hits you with a dose of reality that makes you stop and think hard about the dificulties modern teens face (ie. the chapter "Benjamin's Aliens").

Dak Sifter is one of the best-drawn characters I've run across in some time. I really hope Scarsbrook writes a sequel soon - the ending begs for a follow-up. Both adults and teens will find this book to be a fantastic read.

Rating:
Summary: Coming of Age and the Will to Power
Review: To say "Cheeseburger Subversive" is a coming-of-age tale misses what makes the novel so much more than that. In this short book, one appropriate for both teenagers and adults, Dak Sifter must pass a series of test as he moves toward manhood. But in Cheeseburger Subversive, almost all these tests involve power: whether Dak can overcome his first attempt at mowing the lawn despite the abuse of a macho neighbor; or somehow save an abused boy obsessed with contacting the alien civilization he believes will rescue him; or face down a local cult-like church. First experiences with motorized power, or lack thereof, from said lawnmower to a minibike to a would-be hot rod, accentuate the battle between Dak's inner David and Goliath. An early and hilarious episode, in which a collection of Godzilla-like relatives invades the family Christmas, is worth the price of admission alone. The theme of personal politics at boy's eye-level makes Scarsbrook's novel unique, one which will remind adults that childhood is filled with conflicts often more terrifying than those we later face, if only because we have yet to learn what motivates our adversaries...and how far they'll go in their quest for power.

Rating:
Summary: Coming of Age and the Will to Power
Review: To say "Cheeseburger Subversive" is a coming-of-age tale misses what makes the novel so much more than that. In this short book, one appropriate for both teenagers and adults, Dak Sifter must pass a series of test as he moves toward manhood. But in Cheeseburger Subversive, almost all these tests involve power: whether Dak can overcome his first attempt at mowing the lawn despite the abuse of a macho neighbor; or somehow save an abused boy obsessed with contacting the alien civilization he believes will rescue him; or face down a local cult-like church. First experiences with motorized power, or lack thereof, from said lawnmower to a minibike to a would-be hot rod, accentuate the battle between Dak's inner David and Goliath. An early and hilarious episode, in which a collection of Godzilla-like relatives invades the family Christmas, is worth the price of admission alone. The theme of personal politics at boy's eye-level makes Scarsbrook's novel unique, one which will remind adults that childhood is filled with conflicts often more terrifying than those we later face, if only because we have yet to learn what motivates our adversaries...and how far they'll go in their quest for power.

Rating:
Summary: The Politics of Growing Up
Review: To say "Cheeseburger Subversive" is a coming-of-age tale misses what makes the novel so much more than that. In this short book, one appropriate for both teenagers and adults, Dak Sifter must pass a series of test as he moves toward manhood. But in Cheeseburger Subversive, almost all these tests involve power: whether Dak can overcome his first attempt at mowing the lawn despite the abuse of a macho neighbor; or somehow save an abused boy obsessed with contacting the alien civilization he believes will rescue him; or face down a local cult-like church. First experiences with motorized power, or lack thereof, from said lawnmower to a minibike to a would-be hot rod, accentuate the battle between Dak's inner David and Goliath. An early and hilarious episode, in which a collection of Godzilla-like relatives invades the family Christmas, is worth the price of admission alone. The theme of personal politics at boy's eye-level makes Scarsbrook's novel unique, one which will remind adults that childhood is filled with conflicts often more terrifying than those we later face, if only because we have yet to learn what motivates our adversaries...and how far they'll go in their quest for power.