Readalikes
If you liked Dunk by David Lubar, you might enjoy some of these books.
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Harmony Books. 1980
Arthur Dent, saved from Earth's demolition, reluctantly travels the wild galaxy with his friend Ford Prefect. Assisted by The Hitchhiker's Guide, the two pursue the answers to life's important questions, except for "What is the meaning of life?" The answer to that is "42."
Andersen, M.T. Burger Wuss. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. 1999
Love, betrayal, satire, ketchup, and road sign graffitists form Anthony's tale of revenge at an O'Dermott's burger joint. No matter what the evil Turner and his shiny jacket do to Anthony, he refuses to go down in history as a wuss.
Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road. New York: Putman's. 1998
In order to save her company, first-class shoe salesgirl Jenna has to drive her eccentric boss from Chicago to Texas. In a huge Cadillac. After she's only had her driver's license for a few weeks. On the road, Jenna realizes that almost everything she needs to know in life, she can learn from selling shoes.
Brian, Kate. The Princess and the Pauper. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2003
Princess Carina of Vineland and pauper Julia of Los Angeles trade places for a day. Carina gets to go on a date with righteous rocker Ribbit, and Julia gets $10,000. All is well until the two don't get the chance to switch back, leaving urban Julia on a plane to Vinelandia.
Clark, Catherine. Truth or Dairy. New York: HarperTempest. 2000
Wannabe vegan, class vice-president, champion smoothie maker, and middle child Courtney Von Dragon Smith chronicles her trials and tribulations in her journal. From Thanksgiving with her grandparents to an embezzlement scandal, Courtney handles difficult situation with lots of crunchy granola style.
Cabot, Meg. All-American Girl. New York: HarperCollins. 2002
Catapulted to the role of national hero when she saves the President's life, "urban rebel" Sam has to deal with press conferences, frizzy hair, and being a teen ambassador to the United Nations. Not to mention the really cute boy in art class.
Curtis, Chistopher Paul. Bucking the Sarge. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. 2004
Luther T. Farrell, philosopher and scientist, lives in constant fear of his mother, the Sarge, one of the most powerful and corrupt women in Flint, Michigan. When he discovers exactly how corrupt his mother is, though, Luther springs into action and overcomes her tyranny.
Danziger, Paula. Remember me to Harold Square. New York: Delacorte. 1987
The threesome called the Serendipities, Kendra, Frank, and Oscar, adventure through New York City on a six-week scavenger hunt. If they find their assigned objects, people, and places, they will win a trip to England, which everyone knows is even better than a frozen hot chocolate.
Ferris, Jean. Love Among the Walnuts. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. 1998
Sandy Huntington-Ackerman lives a quiet, isolated life until his two greedy uncles try to kill everyone the family with poisoned birthday cake. They don't succeed, but put almost everyone into a coma. Sandy, spared from the poison, gathers a cast of offbeat characters to help exact justice on his uncles.
Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob. New York: Hyperion. 2002
Fans of The Sopranos will want to read Vince Luca's tale of life in a New York mob family, where the FBI has the house bugged and his dates are interrupted by his brother's business dealings with Jimmy the Rat. Vince tries to steer clear of mob involvement, but he can't escape the "family business."
Koertge, Ron. Confess-O-Rama. New York: Orchard Books. 1996
Confess-O-Rama is the teen self-help hotline, run by Jordan, which Tony calls when he needs to talk. What Tony doesn't know is that Jordan plans to use the confessions in an exhibit of auditory art.
Lynch, Chris. Political Timber. New York: HarperCollins. 1996
Gordie Foley's plans for senior year, as dictated by Gordie: Hang with girlfriend. Relax. Develop acute case of senioritis. Gordie Foley's plans for senior year, as dicated by his incarcerated grandfather: Get elected mayor.
Pinkwater, Daniel. The Education of Robert Nifkin. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 1998
Set in the 1950s, this is the wild story of Robert Nifkin's misadventures at two Chicago high schools, one public where Robert joins the ROTC to avoid gym, and one private with a laid-back bohemian attitude.
Powell, Randy. Three Clams and an Oyster. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 2002
A three-man flag football team auditions a motley crew of potential fourth players, including the school stoner and the rich kid with the bad hair. The best player they find is Rachel Summerfield, known for her leg hair...and her talent for flag football.
Pratchett, Terry. The Wee Free Men. New York: HarperCollins. 2003
It's up to Tiffany to rescue her baby brother and thwart the invasion of Fairyland. A witch in training, Tiffany figures that all she's got left to do is find her power, but she discovers that's not as easy as it sounds.
Rees, Douglas. Vampire High. New York: Delacorte. 2003
Cory has the nonexistent choice between two high schools: Our Lady of Perpetual Homework or Vlad Dracul Magnet School. He enters Vlad Dracul, a school full of jenti, or vampires, who are highly intelligent but allergic to water. Though the jenti are superhuman, Cory finds that the not-so-superhuman students at Vlad Dracul have special talents as well.
Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. New York: HarperCollins. 2000
Cursed with an insane little sister, a half-wild cat, and Wet Lindsay, the only thing standing between her and Rob the Sex God, Georgia Nicholson tells all to her diary. There was also the time she went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive, but she doesn't like to talk about that.
Sedaris, David. Me Talk Pretty One Day. Boston: Little, Brown. 2000.
Humorist Sedaris chronicles his crazy moves around the world, from North Carolina to Chicago to New York to Paris, where he has to deal with his inability to speak French and has to communicate with other people in nouns.
Scott, Kieran. Jingle Boy. New York: Delacorte. 2003
Paul lives for Christmas, but when his girlfriend dumps him for a mall Santa, his father electrocutes himself, and his family's roof catches fire all in that most wonderful time of the year, he thinks he might be better off making a fuss over the Fourth of July.
Sheldon, Dyan. Planet Janet. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 2003
Tired of her shallow, superficial life, Janet and her best friend Disha start the "Dark Phase" of their lives, a conversion that requires a lot of black and purple clothing, more sophisticated books, and film analysis. Now if only it weren't complicated by her dysfunctional family.
Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand. New York: Hyperion. 2003
Magician-in-training and quiet genius Nathaniel tolerates life with his inept mentor until he is publicly humiliated by the cruel, talented magician Simon Lovelace. As part of his plan of revenge, Nathaniel conjures a smart-talking, 5,000-year-old djinni who's got an agenda of his own.
Tashjian, Janet. The Gospel According to Larry. New York: Henry Holt. 2001.
Larry, his sharp wit, and his 75 possessions run a website, and his anti-consumerist messages begin to change the world. Hot on his trail of anonymity, though, is a person who goes by the online handle betagold, who is determined to unmask Larry's identity.
Thomas, Rob. Rats Saw God. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1996
Steve York has two options: he can either write a 100-page paper, or he can flunk out of high school. He reflects on the last four years of his life, blaming everyone else for his trouble and eventually coming to terms with breakups, family troubles, and Dadaism.
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