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88th out of 100 books
—
44 voters
Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II (Stoner & Spaz #2)
by
Ron Koertge
Quick repartee. Unsparing wit. Insight, poignancy, and spot-on characters. Welcome the much-awaited sequel to the acclaimed Stoner & Spaz.
Beautiful but troubled Colleen Minou is the only girl who ever looked at Ben Bancroft as more than a spaz— more than just that kid with cerebral palsy. Yet the more time Ben spends with her, the more glaring their differences appear....more
Beautiful but troubled Colleen Minou is the only girl who ever looked at Ben Bancroft as more than a spaz— more than just that kid with cerebral palsy. Yet the more time Ben spends with her, the more glaring their differences appear....more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Candlewick
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More books that I read are part of a franchise, I mean series, these days than are not. When a book is good for me, I'm glad of that. Like most people, I want more of a good thing. Most people like chain restaurants and books where they know what they are getting for much the same reason.
This sequel is different, though, from those fast and furiously produced sequels/series because the first STONER & SPAZ came out in 2002. Almost ten years later, that YA audience is past college and into Pam...more
This sequel is different, though, from those fast and furiously produced sequels/series because the first STONER & SPAZ came out in 2002. Almost ten years later, that YA audience is past college and into Pam...more
First Impression:
I absolutely adored Stoner & Spaz and couldn't wait to get to know A.J. a little better, because as much as Colleen has shown Ben things he never thought he'd see, she is still quite a bit crazy (and full of drugs). I was glad I didn't have to wait after reading the first because I think these characters would stick with me forever and I wanted to know more of their story.
While Reading:
I have to say, this book is deeper than you'd think at first glance. Especially if you are...more
I absolutely adored Stoner & Spaz and couldn't wait to get to know A.J. a little better, because as much as Colleen has shown Ben things he never thought he'd see, she is still quite a bit crazy (and full of drugs). I was glad I didn't have to wait after reading the first because I think these characters would stick with me forever and I wanted to know more of their story.
While Reading:
I have to say, this book is deeper than you'd think at first glance. Especially if you are...more
As with Stoner & Spaz, Koertge writes tight, fast, easy to read prose with an attractively well-realized protagonist in Ben - the wry high school student with CP who lives and longs to make movies. Stoner & Spaz II takes up right where the first novel broke off, with Ben longing to see Colleen again, even though she ditched him at the movie premiere. The two reconnect and break apart again and again in their difficult relationship. I think Koertge just couldn't bear to leave his creation...more
Nothing really exciting happens but the characters are great people and I loved them. In this sequel to Stoner & Spaz, Spaz and Colleen are older and more comfortable with themselves. Spaz accepts the shortcomings cerebral palsy brings and is no longer the kid people pick on in high school. The documentary he made in the first book has given him cred and his subjects enjoy their new celebrity most of the time. Colleen still has drug issues but she's working on a modified 12-step program that...more
One of the many reasons that Ron Koertge's a great author is that he knows how to end a book. His endings are never about putting a bow on a situation and making everything come together. They tend to be a bit messy and show that life is complicated and never has a perfect ending.
"Stoner and Spaz" is one of my favorite books and this sequel doesn't disappoint. Colleen and Ben are great characters full of life, energy, intelligence and rawness. Ben is a rich kid with Cerebral Palsy obsessed with...more
"Stoner and Spaz" is one of my favorite books and this sequel doesn't disappoint. Colleen and Ben are great characters full of life, energy, intelligence and rawness. Ben is a rich kid with Cerebral Palsy obsessed with...more
I admit it's been a while since I read Stoner and Spaz but I think I like the sequel better. It seems a lot less cliche and Ben has become a much more relateable character. In the first book I remember he was very defined by his disability and it seemed like I had read the plot before. Manic pixie dream girl with a an intelligent mind but a troubled past falls into an unlikely love. Now Playing Stoner and Spaz 2 still retained the same Ron Koertge humor and wit but gave the characters more depth...more
Hard to believe it's been 8 years since I read the first Stoner & Spaz. This one picks up pretty much where the first left off and I don't think it was quite as compelling. I always prefer the initial getting-to-know-you stuff over the what-comes-next. That said, this one saw a lot of resolution to both Ben's and Colleen's efforts to "grow up". Often moving, realistic- a few steps forward a few steps back in relationships and attitude toward life. I began to really appreciate Ben's grandmot...more
So, I didn't have any idea that this book was coming out until I spotted it at ALA. I remember enjoying the first one, about Ben (who has cerebral palsy) and Colleen (a druggie), so I snagged up this one. The book is a really fast read and interesting. But what it lacks, maybe because it's a sequel, is real character development. There is still some, but not as much as I would have liked. I still liked the book, but it felt a little unfinished to me. And, it just sort of ends. Which makes me won...more
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I teetered between three and four stars because while I enjoyed the story, it seemed to run out of gas toward the end. The relationship between Colleen and Ben continues to have ups and downs, with Colleen trying to stay away from drugs and Ben steadfastly believing in her despite many disappointments. Koertge has the chemistry between the two protangonists down perfectly, in my opinion. I'd have liked to have sees something come of Ben's movie-making with the new camera but perhaps there will b...more
Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II continues the tale of the fraught relationship between Ben Bancroft, the spaz, and Colleen Minou, the stoner. Ben wants to save Colleen from herself and her drug addiction and she is the only girl who he believes sees the real him and not his cerebral palsy. They became friends in the first novel after meeting at the movies. Ben is a budding film maker who has just had a successful showing of his first documentary at a local South Pasadena gallery, where he meet...more
Funny story about the unlikely romance between a boy with cerebal palsy (the narrator) who lives with his wealthy grandmother and a sassy girl trying to kick a drug habit who comes from a rough home environment. Good readalike for the John Greene type of books. Some sex (not graphic) and language (high school more than middle school read).
yes i love everything by ron koertge but this was kinda unremarkable for how awesome the first one was. not very memorable even though i only read it 3 months ago. I love hearing what happens to the characters next- but i prefer stories with more arc, more definiate beginning and ending.
Loved it! It picked up right where the first one left off. I love the character change and interaction in Ben and Colleen. Love them together. The more puzzle pieces of Grandma I get, the more I want to find out about her, as well as Delia. And I think everyone needs a Marcie! I don't want to say to much and give away my favorite parts, but this is one series I'll be waiting for more from.
"Now Playing" is a serviceable novel of the young adult realistic fiction variety. In it, star-crossed high-schoolers Colleen (Stoner) and Ben (Spaz) navigate the challenges of stripper moms, missing moms, drugs and fake friends. Along the way valuable lessons are learned.
I loved this, maybe even more than the first one - though I went back & forth over 4 vs. 5 stars - it's really a 4.5. The evolution of the characters (which picks up a couple days after the first book left off) is realistic, the angst has been toned down a bit, and it was just a satisfying story, if not as in your face as the first book. Nothing much happens, but it's a good look at disabilities, teen sex, addiction, mental illness and class differences.
Ehhhh. I really didn't like this at all, but I kept reading it to the end to see if anything redeeming would happen. Nope. It's really racist, the girlfriend totally belittles and mistreats our main character who is self-hating, and then somehow it's love. Ick.
I didn't finish it. Found it surprisingly contrived and I felt my interest slipping away until I finally let myself abandon it. Feels like a lifetime ago, but I really did like the first Stoner and Spaz book, but this one didn't do it for me.
I just read the first one last week, and I'm glad I didn't have to wait ten years for the sequel. I enjoyed this one as we get to see Colleen's character develop more fully; however I feel that Koertge left us hanging at the end.
The follow up to Stoner and Spaz. This is one of those sequels that you don't really need to read the first book, this one can stand alone. And possible go back to the first one. An okay read.
I wish I could give this a 3.5 I did enjoy it, I like the two main characters. I thought the fact that A.J. turned so conveniently "not nice" was a little unrealistic and sudden.
Quick and easy read, but I felt the character of A.J. fell flat. No real competition for Colleen, and I thought that was kind of the point of the book (based on the cover flap). I will have to read the first one, now.
I find this book a mixed bag, so I'm thinking maybe I was not in the right frame of mind to read it.
Love the characters, all of them.
Love the characters, all of them.
Really satisfying sequel. Love Koertge's writing, his dialogue, how real it all feels, and how fully realized his characters are.
The first book had such a witty, strong narrative voice. The second book did not share this same spark.
Totally stand-alone. I had not read the first one and had no trouble jumping into the story.
Drugs.
Drugs.
Um...? There were a couple arcs that fizzled out...? Cute story, but it didn't really go anywhere.
The neding felt like a cut off, but overall a good book. Loved the first one.
This sequel is written 10 years after the first book, and it's been about 7 or so since I read it. The story was a bit boring, and nothing happened. Unless you adore the plot of the first, skip.
So glad to see these two memorable characters return!
Sep 15, 2011
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Where did this sequel come from?? *happy dance*
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Ask Ron Koertge what he brings to the realm of young adult fiction, and the seasoned author responds matter-of-factly. "I write dialogue well, and I'm funny," he says--an assessment few would argue with. "I like iconoclasm and practice it in my fiction. I don't like pretense or hypocrisy. I'm almost always irreverent."
A faculty member for more than 35 years at Pasadena City College, where he has...more
More about Ron Koertge...
A faculty member for more than 35 years at Pasadena City College, where he has...more
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“The guys can't take their eyes off Colleen... one of them... probably sees her just like I do, she's the gatekeeper to another world.”
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12 people liked it
“No wonder I want to be Robert Mitchum: big, strong, super-cool, with those Freon eyes of his. That's who I was pretending to be a minute ago - Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past. - Ben”
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1 person liked it
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