Gordie Foley can’t wait to coast through his senior year—so how did he end up running for mayor?
The best girl, the best car, and the best class schedule—Gordie Foley has it all in his final year of high school. When his beloved grandfather, the former mayor of the town, gives Gordie his trademark Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk for his eighteenth birthday, Gordie can’t wait to live the most awesome senior year ever. But his grandfather has other plans. Calling the shots from prison, where he has been sent for racketeering, he sets up Gordie to run for town mayor to keep the family name in the news. Now Gordie is heading down the campaign trail—and this is a ride he can’t just coast through.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
From Publishers Weekly
Once more proving his versatility, Lynch shifts gears from the brooding, violent atmosphere of his Native Son trilogy with this cheeky, effervescent tale about a teenager thrust into the world of adult politics. Gordie Foley wants nothing more than to coast through the remainder of his senior year, hanging out with his friends and cruising in the Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk his grandfather "Fins" has lent him. But there's a catch: Fins, the former town mayor, is in prison for racketeering and he wants to regain control of local politics by having Gordie run for mayor. Unable to turn down his beloved Da and afraid of losing the Hawk, Gordie reluctantly goes along with Fins's scheme and finds his life spinning out of control. As ingenuous as he is ignorant (he doesn't even know many people live in his town and is shocked when he sees his casual comments as headlines), Gordie eventually discovers how inconsequential he is to those who wield the real power behind the scenes-and that there's only one thing he can do to buck the system. This fast-paced and characteristically wry narrative, with its cast of wonderfully realized characters-particularly sultry girlfriend Sweaty Betty and a radio shock jock-and its hilarious jabs at politicking, is a rousing antidote to election-year apathy. Ages 10-up. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up. When Gordon Foley receives the use of his grandfather's Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk for his 18th birthday, senior year looks especially promising. An internship at a local radio station earns him two days away from school each week, and his girlfriend, Sweaty Betty, seems more affectionate in the Hawk?how could life possibly be better? The car, however, comes with a price tag. Gordon must run for mayor, the office most recently held by his now-incarcerated grandfather, who was unaware of the law forbidding anyone with a criminal record to be mayor. With "Da" and his goons doing all of the campaign work, Gordie figures, how hard could it be to run for mayor? Very, when the radio station declares open season on him during call-in shows, the school newspaper capitalizes on every unwise (and often profane) word he utters, and campaigning begins to take more time than just his two free days. But Gordie's personal gains are far greater than any intellectual familiarity with the political process he acquires, as he emerges slightly more mature and genuine with a new appreciation for his relationships. His losses, however, include Da, who, unable to admit his own failure, mistakes Gordie's honesty for betrayal. In a disappointing confrontation, Da's behavior toward his grandson seems unusually shallow and harsh even for a stereotypical hack politician. While this wise-cracking novel is not a prime example of Lynch's literary timber, it is a humorous, lightweight, and totally irreverent look at "senioritis."?Kelly Diller, Humboldt High School, IA Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
Gordie Foley can’t wait to coast through his senior year—so how did he end up running for mayor?
The best girl, the best car, and the best class schedule—Gordie Foley has it all in his final year of high school. When his beloved grandfather, the former mayor of the town, gives Gordie his trademark Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk for his eighteenth birthday, Gordie can’t wait to live the most awesome senior year ever. But his grandfather has other plans. Calling the shots from prison, where he has been sent for racketeering, he sets up Gordie to run for town mayor to keep the family name in the news. Now Gordie is heading down the campaign trail—and this is a ride he can’t just coast through.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
From Publishers Weekly
Once more proving his versatility, Lynch shifts gears from the brooding, violent atmosphere of his Native Son trilogy with this cheeky, effervescent tale about a teenager thrust into the world of adult politics. Gordie Foley wants nothing more than to coast through the remainder of his senior year, hanging out with his friends and cruising in the Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk his grandfather "Fins" has lent him. But there's a catch: Fins, the former town mayor, is in prison for racketeering and he wants to regain control of local politics by having Gordie run for mayor. Unable to turn down his beloved Da and afraid of losing the Hawk, Gordie reluctantly goes along with Fins's scheme and finds his life spinning out of control. As ingenuous as he is ignorant (he doesn't even know many people live in his town and is shocked when he sees his casual comments as headlines), Gordie eventually discovers how inconsequential he is to those who wield the real power behind the scenes-and that there's only one thing he can do to buck the system. This fast-paced and characteristically wry narrative, with its cast of wonderfully realized characters-particularly sultry girlfriend Sweaty Betty and a radio shock jock-and its hilarious jabs at politicking, is a rousing antidote to election-year apathy. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up. When Gordon Foley receives the use of his grandfather's Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk for his 18th birthday, senior year looks especially promising. An internship at a local radio station earns him two days away from school each week, and his girlfriend, Sweaty Betty, seems more affectionate in the Hawk?how could life possibly be better? The car, however, comes with a price tag. Gordon must run for mayor, the office most recently held by his now-incarcerated grandfather, who was unaware of the law forbidding anyone with a criminal record to be mayor. With "Da" and his goons doing all of the campaign work, Gordie figures, how hard could it be to run for mayor? Very, when the radio station declares open season on him during call-in shows, the school newspaper capitalizes on every unwise (and often profane) word he utters, and campaigning begins to take more time than just his two free days. But Gordie's personal gains are far greater than any intellectual familiarity with the political process he acquires, as he emerges slightly more mature and genuine with a new appreciation for his relationships. His losses, however, include Da, who, unable to admit his own failure, mistakes Gordie's honesty for betrayal. In a disappointing confrontation, Da's behavior toward his grandson seems unusually shallow and harsh even for a stereotypical hack politician. While this wise-cracking novel is not a prime example of Lynch's literary timber, it is a humorous, lightweight, and totally irreverent look at "senioritis."?Kelly Diller, Humboldt High School, IA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.