The opening lines of this first-person narrative immediately hook readers as they enter the lonely, troubled, self-deprecating world of Troy Billings, a 296-pound 17-year-old who contemplates ending his life by jumping off a New York City subway platform. He is interrupted by Curt MacCrae, a legendary punk-rock guitarist and sometime-student at W. T. Watson High School. Curt convinces Troy to be the drummer in his band, even though he hasn't touched the drums since seventh grade.

Troy's voice is candid, irreverent, realistic, and humorous. He imagines the events of his life in facetious headlines always related to his weight. Curt himself is the product of a dysfunctional family, and he has plenty of problems of his own, including a reliance on drugs.

A teen reader raves, “The author's great descriptions made me feel a part of their punk-rock world. I kept turning the pages to see how things would turn out for these characters I grew so fond of, and read the entire book in 2 days. A terrific debut novel. I can't wait for Going's next one.”

Seventeen-year-old Becky Martin-smart, funny, ambitious-aspires to be a stand-up comic. While setting out to make her goal a reality, she meets Kip Costello, a rising star in the San Francisco comedy-club scene. And what could be better than an intense boyfriend who cares about every detail of her life? But Becky soon discovers a darker side to Kip, where emotional and physical abuse grow hand-in-hand. As the relationship goes from loving to controlling, Becky must find the courage to get help before it's too late.

In this powerful novel, Janet Tashjian tackles the difficult and complex subject of teen relationship abuse from the viewpoints of both the victim and the perpetrator, showing that there are no easy answers for either-but many brave survivors.

A high school student review, “I was surprised by this book....I didn't read the cover first so I was sucked in right along with Becky Martin when she meets Kip at the comedy club.... I thought that he was a sweet guy and that it was so great that she found somebody.... I got so frustrated while reading how Kip disintegrates into an abusive boyfriend...good book”

Alicia. the student government type: Nikki, the perky, chatty type: and Sam. the football type, are best friends, brought together by their shared Mormon faith. They only have two months before they graduate when they decide they need to do something different, something that will make a difference. So, they create a competition. Each one of them will select a classmate from the least-likely-to-succeed list and then have three weeks to transform their picks into their prom dates. After the prom, they'll get together to decide who has been the most successful in their "experiment" to help their classmates move into the mainstream. What none of them realizes, however, is that forming a relationship is a two-way street. In order to break down another person's walls, they each must confront their own values, fears, and prejudices.

An adolescent praises, “I cried. How real these characters seemed. How many people have I seen go through similar struggles--divorce, abuse, pain. I couldn't put the book down. This was a fascinating story, filled with real characters and real feelings. Read it, you'll love it.”

Bobby is your classic urban teenaged boy -- impulsive, eager, restless. On his sixteenth birthday he gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever. She's pregnant. Bobby's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and hanging with friends no longer seem important as they're replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and a social worker who says that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.

With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson looks at the male side of teen pregnancy as she delves into one young man's struggle to figure out what "the right thing" is and then to do it. No matter what the cost.

A reviewer explains, “This book will allow young readers to enter the life of their peer. This is a must have on every teens bookshelf... It will make you sad, angry, and hopeful. The characters are genuine and there is so much emotion in this book. I adored it and you will read it over and over again.”