Zen and the Art of Faking It

Don't forget about our Twelfth Night Celebration this coming Monday.

Zen and the Art of Faking It
by Jordan Sonnenblick
MG fiction. 264 pp.
Scholastic. 2007.

flap copy:

When the going gets tough—fake it!

Look, I didn't ask to move to Nowheresville, Pennsylvania. I stick out here like a squid on Mount Everest. The way I figure it, blending in won't make people like me. Or solve my huge family problems. Or get me noticed by Woody, the fearless, wild-haired, guitar-rocking girl of my dreams—without getting my butt kicked buy her huge, evil friend.

Blending in is impossible. So maybe it's time to stand out.

Meet San Lee, a (sort of) innocent teenager, who moves against his will to a new town. Things get interesting when he (sort of) invents a new past for himself, which makes him (sort of) popular. In fact, his whole school starts to (sort of) worship him, just because he (sort of) accidentally gave the impression that he's a reincarnated mystic.

When things start to unravel, San needs to find some real wisdom in a hurry. Can he patch things up with his family, save himself from bodily harm, stop being an outcast, and maybe even get the girl? Sort of . . .

Completed June 11.

This was a cute story. I mean, how can you help but love a boy who finally gets something good from moving every year? Granted, declaring yourself a zen guru can't help but end poorly. But it was a cute story. Nothing to jump up and down about, but cute nonetheless.