The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine

by April Lurie

A MOTHER WHO split for another man.

A father who works 24/7.

An older brother who excels at everything— and smokes a lot of weed.

A best friend, of the feminine persuasion, who only wants to be a friend, and who’s shooting a film set in cool Greenwich Village, New York.

Dylan Fontaine’s life seems to be full of drama he can’t control. But when he stars in his best friend’s movie, Dylan discovers that, sometimes, life’s big shake-ups force you to take risks—and to step into the spotlight.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Teen

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I have the best job in the world - I write books for teens. I'm a former nurse, a native New Yorker, a wife, and a mother of four. I live near Austin, Texas, with my family, and I'm currently working on my next novel.

Reviews

[Sainte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, not bad, but I'm not as ecstatic about it as some of the other GR readers. Maybe because I'm not a teenager. Maybe because Dylan and fellow character mates seem just so perfectly likeable, even the "f-up" brother, Randy. And while I am a big cheerleader for strong female characters, the women in TLPDF are also just so perfect, too. Any time a character is doing something wrong or at least not right, it turns out they are just misunderstood. Like the mom, who leaves her family, turns out...well, can't tell you or I'll spoil it, right?
Let me just put it this way, you are going to love everyone in the end, the workaholic dad who hits his eldest druggie son, the druggie son who gives up drugs so easily for love and talent, the cheating girlfriend who gets everyone cleaned up,literally. Everyone is just so talented and rich and worry-free; no one has to live with any horrible consequences of their actions whether they hurt people or break the law or hurt themselves because we live in this wonderful wacky world right out of ABC Family TV. Well, Ms. Lurie does I guess. And definitely Dylan does...I mean his name is just so cool, right?
Maybe it's the way YA dramatic fiction is supposed to be...fantasy, not reality. I guess I like my fantasy more fantastic, even science-fiction fantastic. So for all you positive thinkers, all you Twilight fans...don't mind me or this review. It's a fun, non-taxing, superduper quick read. Quirky. Not snobby NYC prep school; I mean, its Brooklyn, it's cool, his name is Dylan Fontaine for gosh sakes.

[Nekochimachan (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a bibliophile, this story is the most realistic YA fiction I ever read! A fifteen year old Dylan is struggling to accept the fact that his mom moves away, his dad works 24/7 and his older brother takes marijuana is insane. He is responsible for cleaning the house and looking out for his older brother. Then something remarkable happened. Angie (childhood friend) is filming Dylan's life story titled The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. He does things out of impulse and express what he truly feels. Also some chapters will make you laugh out loud. Not a boring read. That's all.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of this book was very boring, but when you get deeper into the book it gets more interesting. I recommend this book for 7-8 graders because it includes drugs in this book and some curse words. The book is about a 13-year-old having a unresponsible brother dealing drugs and him trying to help him cover up what his brother has done.

[Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Might recommend to some readers, not keeping for my bookshelves. YA that moves along quickly, has complex enough conflict to make it interesting if not always believable. Characters you can root for.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Life is not easy for Dylan Fontaine. He gets good grades. He is a talented basketball player with a shot at varsity next year. He is a good guitar player and a gifted artist. Basically, he is an All-American, boy-next-door type, so when he is arrested for shoplifting underwear and carrying marijuana in his pocket, it gets people's attention. However, once he explains the weird set of circumstances that led up to that arrest, Dylan finds himself with a mere 20-hours of community service, and then it's back to the usual routine of cooking and cleaning for his father and his older brother, Randy.

Although things may seem normal, Dylan's life is in turmoil. His artist mother recently left to pursue her art and possibly her artist lover. His father, an ob/gyn, spends every waking hour at the hospital delivering babies and taking care of other families. Older brother Randy is no help either, since he spends his time getting high and hanging out with the losers in his band. That leaves Dylan with no one.

Recently there does seem to be the possibility of a love life for Dylan. His best friend, Angie, has just returned from a summer film-making class and, since the breakup with her boyfriend, perhaps it is time for Dylan to make his move. After all, she is making him the subject of the short film she's making for her class. Then there is also the gorgeous new member of his brother's band, Chloe. She is around all the time and pays a lot of attention to Dylan. Is it possible he might have a chance with her, too?

Dylan Fontaine is a fascinating character. Author April Lurie writes about his crazy life in a way that will have readers flipping pages to see how things turn out. The mix of down-to-earth, wholesome Dylan and his brother's fast, risk-taking lifestyle make THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE a book with something for everyone.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lurie, April. 2008. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine.

Wow. Wow. Super-wow. You must read this book. I really really enjoyed April Lurie's first book, Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds though it never did get the proper review since I reviewed it while I had the flu. (Here it is in its entirety: You'll just have to take my word for it that it is fabulous. Set in 1978, it is the story of one girl--her friends, her family, her neighborhood. It all works. It's just a good, good, thoroughly enjoyable book.) I didn't think it would be possible to love this next book even more. But I was wrong. Oh so wrong. I just loved and adored THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE.

I know I can't do it justice. It's one of those books that you'll just have to discover for yourself. But I can try. The writing, the characterization, everything is just so so so good. Dylan's narration of the novel is just oh-so-perfect. As a reader I just fell in love with him, his family, his friends. Dylan's life is far from perfect, far from ideal. He's going through a lot--and I do mean a lot--we first meet him in a jail cell. But it isn't what you think, not really. Yes, he stole two packages of Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear, but really...there's a good explanation for his crime.

Read for yourself all about Dylan in this wonderfully brilliant all-too-human coming-of-age novel.

Family. Friendship. Love. Life. The good. The bad. The ugly. Full of hope, full of wit, full of authentic and unforgettable characters. THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE has it all.

First sentence: I can tell you from experience that a jail cell is not a place you'd like to visit.

April Lurie's blog
April Lurie's web site

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Dylan is arrested for stealing a pair of underwear (don't worry, there's a good reason) he is also caught with the weed that someone passed him for his older brother Randy. His dad manages to work out a deal when Dylan's drug test comes back clean, but this is only the least of his problems. Dylan's older and much admired brother Randy has checked out, spending all of his time with his bandmates and smoking pot, his way of coping with their mother leaving the family to be with another man. Dylan's answer is to play ball and read labels and stress about his relationship with his best friend, Angie, who can talk him into anything, mainly because he wants to be more than her friend. Angie's persuasion includes talking Dylan into becoming the subject of her short film, a project she calls "The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine" and Dylan displays many powers: uncover talents for music and drawing, talk his way into a basketball game in the Cage, he can keep a hold on his brother, talk to his father, confront his mother and try to make a play for the girl he loves.


This is a wonderful book about family, friends, girls and music, and Lurie is able to make great characters who may be angry with their family, but still love them intensely. Dylan has many powers: he thinks he doesn't understand girls, but he manages to win over many girls in the novel, without being smarmy, and he is also a great brother, if sometimes jealous. Lurie also does an excellent job of capturing how much sibling love is mixed up with sibling rivalry and how we can hurt our family while loving them. Dylan is a sweet, angry, charming kid and a great character and most of the novel's success rests on his capable but latent powers.

[Anna Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even describe to you how much I loved this book. April Lurie has described the life of a teenager excatly how some of us feel. Dylan feels like he isn't as good as his brother, he doesn't understand why his mom left his family for another man, and he just wants to find out who he is. He is going through love issues - with his best friend, of all people - and his dad is never around because he is always working.

Even though I, personally, can't relate to all of the things that happen to Dylan in the book, I felt like I knew who he was, and I could relate to him still. I'm trying to figure out who I am and sometimes I feel like I'm not as good as my sibling, like Dylan. Even if you don't have siblings, or your parents arn't split up, you can still relate to the main character, and April Lurie does a great job of writing so that you feel every emotion that Dylan does.

The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine was released today and I would suggest you go to the bookstore right now and buy it.

[Adrian Millan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Joceyln recommended this book to me. Its about kid named Dylan and his brother Randy, they are going through a hard time because there mother just left them. Dylan is have a hard time because his brother Randy hangs out in the basement all day with his band smoking pot and playing music.Also his father is a doctor who never goes home. my favorite quote from the book is "before we go any further,i'd like to know exactly what Dylan took from the store. I mean..." He looks at me with an expression so sad and dissapointed, I want to slip under the table and crawl back to the jail cell." I like this quote because everyone can relate to this, a moment where you are so embarrassed that you just feel like you can disappear. I liked the authors writing style because it describes Dylan's feelings about his mom leaving. I also liked the authors writing style because the problems are really realistic. I would recommend this book to everyone because its a really dramatic boook and it has everyday problem that teenagers face

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading realistic guy fic. This felt like a portal into the minds of the guys I had crushes on in high school. Dylan is the stable one in his family. His mom left the family just a month or two ago, his dad works all the time as an ob/gyn, his brother is a major pothead whose bandmates are always hanging around the house. His best friend, who he happens to be in love with, is away for the summer.
When we meet him, though, he's being arrested.
Soon after, he begins starring in a film.
The book is very poignant at times, funny at times, and (I thought) very real. I enjoyed reading about Dylan's troubles, turn-ons, and brushes with the law. Great music references, and I particularly liked the mix between stereotypical butch interests (basketball, rock and roll...) and less macho guy stuff (classical guitar, drawing...).
Because of content and themes, this is a high school and up title.

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: After Dylan’s mom moved out, his dad threw himself into work and his older brother threw himself into pot. Dylan’s the glue holding the household together, but when his best friend Angie doesn’t see him that way and Dylan gets picked up by the cops, how much longer can the glue hold up?

What I Loved: The engrossing story made me immediately care about Dylan and what he was going through. This is how it starts:

I can tell you from experience that a jail cell is not a place you’d like to visit.

I loved the humor throughout. It was funny without trying too hard to be clever, so it felt like I was reading about a real kid and his problems.

I also genuinely thought a couple of the subplots could go either way, which made for a fun read.

What I Didn’t Love: As the story lines started to wrap up, that understated humor seemed to drop away when it was most needed. So the emotional scenes sometimes felt overly sentimental to me.

[Karyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read, only taking me an afternoon or so to get through. But I've been reading a lot of YA lately, and this just didn't do it for me. I came from a book where the female protagonist had to fight for every bite she ate, as her alcoholic mother refused to support her. And in this novel we have Dylan, whose father is an OB-GYN with plenty of money. I mean, they're rich. Did I mention they are loaded? Because that point comes up several times. And to top it off, everyone is just so likable. There's no tension in the book to be resolved because everyone is so calm and reasonable. A lot of the dialogue, especially between Dylan and his dad, doesn't ring particularly true. What dad wouldn't lose his shit when both of his sons are facing drug charges?? But Dylan's dad is just too reasonable, though he does punch his eldest once, and feels horribly about it.

The book has a decent plot; I don't think it's executed as well as it could be.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fantastic coming of age story, and an added delight since I'd been to NYC recently and it's all set in Brooklyn and Greenwich Village. April Lurie does a great job rendering the trials of a teenager plagued by the fact that he's the younger brother of an uber-talented sibling who is in the process of becoming a royal screw-up. She also does an amazing job of telling the story in first-person from the perspective of a teenage boy, something that I am rarely able to say of authors of the opposite gender who attempt this. It worked for Willa Cather in My Antonia, but beyond that April Lurie is the only person I can think of who pulls it off convincingly (in this and in her later novel The Less Dead). I love April Lurie's work, and this one is my favorite, thus the most highly recommended!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine is a book that I have been waiting to read for over a year now. This book is so great; in some ways, it's even better than April Lurie's other book, Brothers, Boyfriends and Other Criminal Minds. This book... it's so real, yet so imaginative. Lurie does an amazing job and creates each character oh so well, and no too character is too much alike. It's really amazing. Great job April. Wonderous job.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, I checked this out from the library because I liked the cover. It is quite well written and is a good piece of realistic fiction. My only complaint would be that the "good" characters are a little too good. In other words, although they might act out, break the law, and what not, they're all a little too honest and confrontational for me to believe. Dylan himself seems far too talented, hard-working, and honest for a teenager. We all fall... it's okay for the characters to have real flaws in their personalities (and not just their actions) - like being really self-centered.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dylan's life has gone into turmoil. His mother has left the family, his dad works non-stop and his brother has become a pot-smoking fiend. Dylan feels like he is the only responsible family member left and attempts to hold the family together. I enjoyed this book. The author blends both humor and realistic dialogue with believability. However, I was frustrated by the father's character. I felt he was underdeveloped and I never really connected with him.

I think teens, especially those going through the divorce of their parents, will relate to Dylan's character. A fast, good read.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a reason I don't typically like friend/family dramas in teen fiction: they just seem so wishy-washy and, more often than not, too easily "fixed." The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine is no exception. It's an okay book and I feel for Dylan's identity crisis, but he doesn't really have any real conflict, in my opinion. All his problems with his family and friends and potential girlfriend are addressed in turn, but there doesn't seem like there's much passion behind any of it. I'm sure some of my teen students would enjoy reading it, but I can't think of a single one...

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan's mom has left the family. His dad, an OB/GYN, now spends even more time away from the family. His older brother, a talented musician, is content to play in a cover band and get high all the time. Dylan is in love with his best friend, Angie, but he hasn't told her, and they're not speaking now because she's dating a real jerk. Dylan is trying to hold it together, but he's definitely fraying around the edges. Funny and sad and deeply real.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

BBYA
Dylan is one of those characters that you fall in love with. He is the younger brother of "perfect" Randy but when their mom leaves the family for another man perfect Randy begins his downward spiral. Dylan believes his brother is still a wonderful guy and through his actions keeps Randy from totally losing it all. Great book!!!!

[Kath Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan is the "good" son, a 15 year old with an older brother into his band and "smoking a lot of weed", a mother who has left the family to do an art show in Paris, and a doctor father who works 24/7. A story about family, overcoming loss, anger and finding one's place in the whole scheme of life. An entertaining, insightful read.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so wonderful, because it was not one of those drama-filled teen stories, nor one of the sugar-coated ones. I swear, this person had to have been a teenager that lived in the east side of austin and went to kealing when she wrote this in order to understand how the teenage mind works so thoroughly. Awesome book, and i have read a lot of books.

[Shedrick Crafton]

I think the personality of the main character Dylan changed dramatically from the beggining of the book to the end. At the beggining it seemed like he was afraid of saying how he felt in the situations that were being thrown at him. Dylan really looked after his brother that was being influenced by his band group. Dylan helped play a part in him stoping smoking weed

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teen boy deals with drama in his life after his mom leaves (dad busy with work, brother always stoned). His best friend/secret crush decides to make a documentary about him and it causes him to start taking some risks in his life.

[Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. After his mom leaves and shakes up his complacent family, straight-arrow teen Dylan loosens up and gets a life. Especially enjoyed the scenes between Dylan and his older stoner brother.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I do think it started off with a bang and then faded a bit. However, Dylan's character and responses to his family crises are spot on. I would even suggest this one as bibliotherapy to teens with divorcing parents.

[Owlboyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great telling of a story where a young man tries to find himself while dealing with life's problems. His Mom left, His Dad lives at work, his brother is turning into a dopehead and to top it off His best friend, Angie, has a boyfriend and he wishes it was himself. Well crafted and well written.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt, family story about a boy trying to find himself and the changes in the characters are honest.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multi-dimensional and earnest characters go a long way toward making this worthwhile. Nice atmospheric New York touches, too.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

[Renay · Rating 3 out of 5]

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