THE ADVENTURES OF BLUE AVENGER

In a funny, warmly romantic tale from Howe (Shoot for the Moon, 1992, etc.) an impulsive decision leads an average teenager into fulfilling his desire to be “Secret champion of the underdog, modest seeker of truth, fearless innovator of the unknown.” David, after announcing on his 16th birthday that he’s officially naming himself after a comic book hero, is catapulted into a string of situations requiring quick, clever action, from a killer bee attack on the principal to the impending demise of the privately funded school newspaper due to a certain very explicit illustration showing how to don a condom. Meanwhile, discovering in himself a new streak of boldness, David—now Blue—connects with Omaha Nebraska Brown, a soul mate capable both of cogently arguing determinism vs. free will and delivering knee-buckling kisses. Howe sweeps her smart, wide-open characters through an irresistible tumble of twists and coincidences, Big Ideas, and unanswerable questions, pausing for an occasional set piece before ingeniously furnishing a grand climax; having already achieved national fame, both for his principal’s rescue and for solving the “weeping meringue” problem (his recipe for “Blue Avenger’s Weepless Wonder Lemon Meringue Pie” is included), Blue reaches higher glory still by introducing the city council to a new gun control measure. It’s unabashed, cockle-warming wish fulfillment in a novel that has priceless moments and is the perfect respite from all the bleak YA fiction out there. (Fiction. 13-15)