Bibliographic Information: Koertge, R. (2002). Stoner & Spaz. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763616087
Plot Summary: Ben Bancroft is sixteen and in high school. Ben has cerebral palsy. He lives with his overprotective grandmother because his mother left him and he doesn't know who is father is. At school, Ben usually sits alone at lunch. His biggest form of entertainment is going to a local vintage theater called the Rialto.
Colleen Minou attends the same high school as Ben, but she lives quite a different life. Colleen is a drug addict. One day Ben is at the Rialto watching Bride of Frankenstein again. Colleen sits next to Ben and they strike up a friendship that soon leads to more. Ben is attracted to Colleen for several reasons. First of all, Colleen talks to Ben and she actually touches him. He is not used to anyone besides his grandmother touching him. They both share a love of movies. Because of her drug habits, Colleen ends up in the hospital and in rehab. She stays sober for awhile and depends on Ben for comfort.
Ben meets a friend through his grandmother, Marcie. Marcie takes an interest in Ben and mentors him in filmmaking. Marcie becomes somewhat of a mother figure to Ben. Ben becomes involved in making his own documentary called High School Confidential. Ben's documentary was accepted into the Centrist Gallery and it received very positive reviews. At the Centrist Gallery Show Ben came with Colleen, Marcie and his grandmother. When it is time to leave, Ben cannot find Colleen. Then Ben meets a nice girl, Amy, who also showed her documentary Roach Coach. Amy will be attending USC's film school and she gives Ben her email address. She encourages him to pursue film school and to keep in touch with her. At the end of the novel Ben finally finds Colleen in "the streets" getting loaded and taking off with another guy.
Critical Analysis: Stoner and Spaz is an excellent read. It is witty yet it deals with serious subjects: realities of living with a serious physical disability, drug addiction and abuse, and the lack of parental role models. As the story evolves, Ben comes out of his shell through Colleen's friendship. Colleen doesn't care what Ben looks like, how he walks or that he is a loner. Through Colleen (even if it is through her drug haze) Ben makes great strides in gaining self confidence and living up to his potential through filmmaking. Stoner and Spaz is an endearing and lovely coming-of-age novel.
Annotation: Ben and Colleen are both in high school but Ben has cerebral palsy and Colleen is a drug addict. Ben and Colleen develop a very unlikely friendship that leads to Ben living more to his potential and Colleen not changing her habits.
About the Author: Ron Koertge grew up in an old mining town in Illinois in an agricultural area. Ron says "he learned to drive a tractor and buck hay bales, which are clearly useful skills in Los Angeles." Ron taught English for over 35 years at Pasadena City College. He taught all kinds of English, from remedial English to Shakespeare. Ron has written several young adult novels, including The Brimstone Journals. The Brimstone Journals was written in free verse with fifteen teenage characters who write poems which are dispersed throughout the novel. Many of Ron's young adult novels are on the American Library Association choices for Best Books or Books for reluctant readers.
Ron's wife works with the disabled: learning disabled and physically disabled. The idea for Stoner & Spaz came to Ron after he had talked with a former student of his fresh out of drug rehab and his wife had told him about a male student of hers who had cerebral palsy. This student had a great sense of humor like Ben in Stoner & Spaz. Recently retired from teaching, Ron and his wife live in South Pasadena, California.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/ Cerebral Palsy/ Physically Disabled/ Drug Abuse
Curriculum Ties: Health
Talking Points: What happens when two teenagers, one with cerebral palsy the other a druggie, become friends? After rehab, does Colleen stay sober/straight? Is Ben destined to live with his overprotective grandmother his whole life?
Reading Level & Interest Age: 13 & up.
Challenge Issues: Drugs/ sex/ language.
Reason for Inclusion: Stoner & Spaz is an excellent book for reluctant readers. It also addresses the hardships facing individuals with physical disabilities and it delves into the world of being addicted to drugs and the disturbing consequences of that world. In addition,
Stoner & Spaz, captures the lives of lonely teenagers and self acceptance.
Stoner & Spaz, captures the lives of lonely teenagers and self acceptance.
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