The Arizona Kid

By Ron Koertge

Book Overview

A trip out West to work at a racetrack -- and a sojourn with a sophisticated gay uncle -- bring unexpected discoveries in this quick-witted coming-of-age novel by the author of STONER & SPAZ and MARGAUX WITH AN X. From the moment sixteen-year-old Billy steps off the train in Tucson, he knows this will be a summer unlike any he's seen in small-town Bradleyville, Missouri. For starters, he's staying with his cool gay uncle, who has managed to get him a job at the racetrack caring for horses. Still, Billy doesn't expect the horseracing world to be quite as rough and tumble as this -- toiling side by side with a macho survivalist and falling hard for the feisty, romance-shy exercise girl Cara Mae. With his trademark fast-paced dialogue filled with wit and compassion, Ron Koertge tells the tale of an insecure teen who discovers that gaining stature involves more than Stetsons and boots -- and that lessons on love and manhood come from the places you least expect.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763625426
• ISBN13: 9780763625429
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 0.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 7.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

very good

I'm reading this for the 2nd time, and it's just as nice as when I read it the first time. I wish it was longer.

ARIZONA KID ROCKS!!!

This book is hilarious. The jokes, dialogue, and plot always kept me reading. I read it in one sitting and laughed so hard. I would recomend this book to anyone with a sense of humor.

& #65279;Unlikely Mentor

& #65279;Entwined in the story of summer love is a tale of the young man coming-of-age and an illustration of how we are all human. Billy travels from Missouri to there is on the to spend the summer with his uncle. His plan is to get some practical experience working with animals that would provide him with a big step toward fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. When he first arrives he has no idea that his career plans will change, he will fall in love with a beautiful girl named Cara Mae, or that his gay uncle, Wes, will turn out to be the only person who can give him honest answers about life and love. Billy's story leaves the reader with no pat answers. But, then again, nobody has ever found truely pat answers for growing up. The novel provides points of departure for discussion with young adults about life, love, and themselves. It isn't a book that make every reader happy, but it can leave readers satisfied that life has more than one option.

It's Good!

It's Was a good book read it

This was some book!

In this story, Ron Koertge has managed to consider several "difficult" topics, without either overwhelming, alienating, or boring the reader: quite an accomplishment! I would recommend it to anyone, teenagers and adults alike.