Been Clever Forever - Hardcover

Stone, Bruce

2.9

10 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060259183 ISBN 13: 9780060259181

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 1988

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A brilliant sixteen-year-old oddball, having trouble adjusting to his conventional high school, clashes with an emotionally disturbed teacher and comes upon some important truths about life and his place in it.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 10 Up This is a journey of self-discovery in a hypocritical world. Stephen Douglass, smart and gifted, often says what he thinks, and he has acquired a reputation as a trouble-maker. When Mr. Truelove, an unbalanced biology teacher, puts him through a humiliating experience in front of the class that leads to his being falsely accused of vandalizing the biology lab, Stephen becomes a school celebrity, then the sophomore class president and a TV personality. Fame pursues him further when he pens hilarious lyrics to ``Hail to the Chief'' and dispatches them to the White House, after which he is invited to Washington as one of 200 honored high-school students. Back home he faces the climactic moment when the principal intends to destroy Truelovea scenario that develops not at all as planned. Stone's narrator-protagonist's style is entirely apt for the character, but he does not hesitate to make allusions that may go over the heads of the dull or unread. The characterization has depth, and content that often serves as the main theme of many YA novels is presented integrally as part of the characters' lives. This very funny, sophisticated novel confirms the belief that YA literature has come of age. Ronald A. Van De Voorde, Graduate Library School, University of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Narrator Stephen is smart, and that has been getting him in trouble since he started first grade. His notoriety has followed him to his new high school, where, as always, his every act backfires. When he is accused of trashing the biology lab, his new girlfriend Peggy (ever in search of a cause) leads a group that turns him into a hero and elects him student president. Pretty soon, Stephen finds himself caught in the middle of the conflicting expectations of the school authorities, Peggy, his divorced parents and his seemingly insane biology teacher. It isn't until Stephen acts on his ownrather spectacularlythat he sees that his first duty is to himself. This book does not focus on one specific problem or issue; instead, there is a complex interweaving of themes, written with a satisfying, sophisticated tone. At almost 400 pages, the bookby the author of Half Nelson, Full Nelson gives readers a chance to immerse themselves in Stephen's world for a good chunk of time. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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