SYNOPSIS:
Leon Harris isn’t exceptional and he isn’t popular. He’s the kind of guy that peaked in middle school, when once upon a time he was in the gifted program and on the fast track to Ivy League glory.
Now, a high school senior, he’s a complete slacker who spends his time hanging out in a third-rate ice cream parlor with his best friend, Stan, a guy who (jokingly, Leon thinks) claims to be Satan. Committed to his sloth, Leon panics when he finds out that Anna, the love of his life aka middle school girlfriend, might be moving back to town.
Determined to get his act together, Leon asks Stan for help. Stan gives him a few seemingly random and mysterious assignments. Date a popular girl. Listen to Moby-Dick, the audiobook. Find the elusive white grape slushee. Join the yearbook committee.
As each task brings Leon one step away from slacker city and one step closer to Anna, he starts to wonder if maybe he shouldn’t have promised Stan his soul after all.
WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?
Maybe you’ve had that kinda wacky friend who claims to be a vampire or descended from werewolves, and you recognize them in Stan–claiming to be the Devil himself. Who knows what madcap hijinx you could get into if you listened to your Stan the way Leon is. Maybe he’ll find romance? Maybe he’ll find happiness? Or maybe he’ll just find a slushee…
The cover is a thing of pure joy. The three characters, Leon, Stan, and Paige, look to be having the time of their life, caught up in the moment, and revelling in their fun as they jump around. The little devil horns add the right touch of mischief.
Author Adam Selzer lived in Des Moines back before it was cool, then tried out a series of small Georgia towns that will probably never be cool before settling in Chicago. He is most famously known in the YA world as the author of I KISSED A ZOMBIE, AND I LIKED IT.
EARLY REVIEWS SAY…
This is a particularly smart and sweet teenage love story, refusing to rely on burning passion or overwrought sentiment. … Leon’s journey to personal responsibility is another topic well-tackled, making this an engaging, character-driven piece with several pros that mightily outweigh the cons. Surprisingly heartfelt. (Kirkus Reviews)
Selzer packs the story with bawdy, hormonal humor and scenes of Leon, Stan, Paige and their friends talking about life and sex… It’s a mordantly funny story of a teenager bumbling headlong into love and sex while caught in high-school limbo, waiting for life to kick into gear. (Publishers Weekly)
WATCH THE TRAILER
Author Adam Selzer has a YouTube playlist for you here:
NECESSARY DETAILS
YA Contemporary
Hardcover & ebook, 288 pages
Published on August 26th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (ISBN 1481401025)
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Play-Me-Backwards/Adam-Selzer/9781481401029