Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

By Yoo, David

Publishers Summary:
If Albert Kim has learned one thing in his tragic adolescence, it's that God (probably a sadistic teenaged alien) does not want him to succeed at Bern High. By the end of sophomore year, Al is so tired of humiliation that he's chosen to just forget girls and high school society in general, and enjoy the Zen-like detachment that comes from being an intentional loser. Then he meets Mia Stone, and all the repressed hormones come flooding back. Mia, his co-worker at the Bern Inn, is adorable, popular, and most intimidatingly, the ex- long-term girlfriend of Ivy-bound, muscle-bound king of BHS and world class jerk, Ryan Stackhouse. But -- chalk it up to the magic of Al's inner beauty -- by the end of a summer vacuuming hotel rooms and goofing off together, he and Mia are officially "something." Albert barely has time to ponder this miracle before the bomb drops: Ryan has been diagnosed with cancer, and he needs Mia's support, i.e. constant companionship. True, he's lost weight and he's getting radiation, but that doesn't make him any less of a jerk. And to Albert, it couldn't be more apparent that Ryan is using his cancer to steal Mia back. With the whole town rallying behind Ryan like he's a fallen hero, and Mia emotionally confused and worried for Ryan, Al's bid for love is not a popular campaign. In fact, it's exactly like driving the wrong way on a five-lane highway. In this desperately funny novel, David Yoo tells an authentic story of first love, and therein captures the agony, the mania, the kicking and screaming that define teenage existence.

 Not Rated. Be the first to rate this product!

ISBN
978-1-42310-907-5
Publisher
Hyperion


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on December 1, 2008

Gr 9-Up Asian-American Albert Kim, 16, is extraordinarily successful at cultivating his status as "intentional loser." Having chosen against academic summer camp, he takes a cleaning job at a nearby inn. His coworker, popular and beautiful Mia, has recently ended her long-term relationship with lacrosse team star Ryan and is using her job as a distraction. Although communication between Albert and Mia is initially strained, their sleazy supervisor's rejected advances toward Mia an...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Magazine

Reviewed on November 1, 2008

Sixteen-year-old Albert Kim is a loser with a capital L, and it's a persona that he intentionally cultivates after realizing that "whoever was upstairs—God, or more likely a teenage alien with the Milky Way on a petri dish—had deemed that I wasn't meant to make it socially at Bern High." But Albert's plan to be "the very fringe of the fringe" is shot to pieces when he meets Mia Stone, Bern's golden girl. Both he and Mia are working summer jobs at a local inn, and after Albert acts ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2008

Working a summer job together, sixteen-year-old loser Albert Kim and golden-girl Mia Stone grow close. Things get complicated when school sta...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Become a Pro


This feature is only available to Pro subscribers. Please log in, or upgrade your subscription.

Add To My List

cover
by

This feature is only available to Pro subscribers. Please log in, or upgrade your subscription.

Export


This feature is only available to Pro subscribers. Please log in, or upgrade your subscription.

Save List Search Query


This feature is only available to Pro subscribers. Please log in, or upgrade your subscription.

Follow Lists


This feature is only available to Pro subscribers. Please log in, or upgrade your subscription.