My Chemical Mountain - 9780385742429

In the vein of S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders, and in eco-warrior fierceness that will recall Erin Brockovich, comes My Chemical Mountain, a powerful, mesmerizing high-octane drama.

Rocked by his father's recent death and his mother's sudden compulsion to overeat, Jason lashes out by breaking into the abandoned mills and factories that plague his run-down town. Always by his side are his two best friends, Charlie, a fearless thrill junkie, and Cornpup, a geek inventor whose back is covered with cysts. The boys rage against the noxious pollution that suffocates their town and despise those responsible for it; at the same time, they embrace the danger of their industrial wasteland and boast about living on the edge.

Then on a night the boys vandalize one of the mills, Jason makes a costly mistake--and unwittingly becomes a catalyst for change. In a town like his, change should be a good thing. There's only one problem: change is what Jason fears most of all.

“Vacco’s thought-provoking modern-day dystopian novel, set in a fictional upstate New York factory town, is plausible and action-packed. From Jason’s complex teenage boy perspective, she captures both the disheartening helplessness of the situation (a wealthy, corrupt company versus a dependent town) and the boys’ reckless resistance: ‘We cross a landfill on our way to school. We swim in creek water that smells like nail polish remover…We are not fools. We are brave and brilliant.’ There is power and hope in that kind of statement, and Jason’s coming-of-age tale, though dark, is full of both.”—The Hornbook Magazine

“This gritty debut depicts the reality of a toxic town. . . . Reminiscent of The Outsiders (and not just because of Cornpup’s unusual name), the story concentrates on the boys’ tight bond and how they both embrace and fight against the danger in their lives. The most stunning part of the story remains the visceral descriptions (“a trail of green puddles that never dry up; a rusty railcar full of weird, smelly rocks; and a perfect square of earth where you can dig for hours without seeing a single insect”) that ooze throughout. . . . Dark and unflinching.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This debut novel, with its detailed descriptions of the toxic landscape and dangerous antics, will likely draw male readers in, but a budding romance and subtle insight into Jason’s changing relationship with his friends guarantee that there’s a little something for all readers in this well-thought-out, well-executed story.”—School Library Journal