Stupid Fast By Geoff Herbach Published By Sourcebooks Fire in 2011 Greg Brown

Introduction to Novel o The story is set in in Bluffton, Wisconsin around present times. oA few keys events happen at the beginning of the story; oIt is revealed that that Felton’s dad committed suicide, when he was 5, so he only remembers his dad through memories. oFelton gets bigger oJerri goes crazy oGus goes to visit his grandma oAleah moves into Gus’ old house

Characters o Protagonist- Felton o Antagonist- Felton o Felton- big, really fast, and tough o Jerri- nice, caring o Andrew- smart, good at playing piano o Aleah- nice, good at playing piano

Central Conflict o Felton’s mom,Jerri, has gone insane and he has no clue what's going on and he tries to help but that just makes things worse. When he gives up things get worse and his brother, Andrew, starts to act weird.

Minor Characters o Ken Johnson- hurts Felton’s back; in the end he calls off the people after Felton; track star o Cody- befriends Felton when Gus leaves town and Quarter-Back for the high school football team o Gus- Felton’s friend who is gone during the summer

Reviews “ Wow. So much more than a sports book. Yet, like Tangerine and Pop, it's a book that shows a non-athlete the draw, the thrill, is to sports. Felton used to be the awkward kid, the one whose dad killed himself. Starting in November of sophomore year, he grew and grew, and ate and ate, and slept a lot, too. Some of this seemed to make his mom mad; he yelled at his little brother, who's really OK. It all made him mad, and one day he took out the anger in the 600 yard dash. He ran stupid fast. Suddenly coaches are calling him, jocks befriend him. Summer comes. Felton's buddy Gus has gone and he's doing his paper route, which is how he meets the amazing girl living in Gus's house for the summer. He starts working out with the football players. His life is feeling kinda cool -- but then his mom starts losing her grip on reality. Felton misses some opportunities to ask for help, but once he does, he finds it's everywhere. “ -Lisa K. “Felton just realized that he was stupid fast the year he was 15. Fast enough to get noticed during gym class by the track coach. Fast enough that he should have beaten two-time states winner Kennedy Johnson during the last track meet – except that he was on the sidelines puking instead. Fast enough to hear Coach Johnson talking about arranging for him to have his own recruiting page and hosting D-I (Division I) scouts to see him play a game he has never even gone to see on a fall Friday night. He is not quite fast enough to escape what seems to be happening around him. He still can’t shake the memory of finding his father hanging in the garage when he was five years old. His mother Jerri has checked out of her life and cannot even look at him anymore. His little brother has quit practicing piano, become a pyromaniac, and looks like he hasn’t showered all summer. His first best friend Gus (who is gone to spend the summer with his family in Venezuela with his ailing grandmother) has quit returning his s and left him abandoned by the only real friend he has ever known. While there is likely enough sports (track, running, training, football) to appeal to those readers who enjoy reading about them, there is also a fine story about growing up, fitting in, and dealing with life. “ -Cindy

My Review o I thought it was a good story about a kid who in a few months goes from a nobody to a somebody.