Title: Stupid Fast
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (June 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402256302
ISBN-13: 978-140225630
Stupid Fast is my new Young Adult book from Sourcebooks Fire. It’s about a boy. It’s about sports. It’s about being a serious dork. It’s about a paper route. It’s about bullying and the opposite. It’s about a girl. It’s about hair growth. It’s about a little brother. It’s about piano. It’s about a depressed mother. It’s about learning to be who you are. It’s about not hiding.
Questions about events, school visits, book clubs, etc., contact me via email at geoff (dot) herbach (at) gmail (dot) com!
Stupid Fast is the 2011 Cybils Award winner for best YA fiction, a YALSA (American Library Association) Best Books for Young Adults selection for 2012, a 2011 selection to the ABA’s list of Best Books for Children, and a 2011 Junior Library Guild Selection!
“In the tradition of great young adult protagonists like Holden Caulfield and Eric “Moby” Calhoune comes Felton Reinstein, soon to be sixteen… This novel is Herbach’s first for a teen audience, but you would not guess that from the authentic teen voice of his protagonist.The author manages to deftly balance humor with high-stakes, emotional storytelling and even includes some romance to boot. Surprises abound in this future youth classic, not the least of which is how Felton comes to terms with his newfound inner jock… it is difficult to imagine a reader who will not find Felton’s tale compelling and highly entertaining.” —VOYA, June 2011
“It’s rare to gain access to a male teen’s thoughts at his most vulnerable… Felton is a hero for all readers–male and female. And Herbach (who admits to growing up in Wisconsin as “both a dork and a jock”) is a writer to watch.”– Jennifer M. Brown, Shelf Awareness, May 18, 2011.
“This story has a little bit of everything: the challenges of growing up, the issues surrounding interracial romance, navigating tough class issues, and a narrator who is one of the most real, honest, and still funny male voices to come around in a while.” — The Hub, YALSA, June 23, 2011
“Whip-smart and painfully self-aware, Stupid Fast is a funny and agonizing glimpse into the teenage brain…Young readers looking for a genuinely memorable first-person narrator — in the vein of Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian or Pete Hautman’s Godless – should really catch up to Stupid Fast this summer.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 8, 2001
“In the end, Felton’s sarcasm, anxiety, self-doubt, thoughtfulness, and compassion carry the day and perfectly capture the voice of his generation.” — School Library Journal, August 2011
“A great read for all teen and adult readers. I loved this! It almost moved me to tears as it provided insight into the mind of an adolescent. — Library Media Connection, October 2011
- Nothing Special, the next book in the stupid fast line, is due out in May, 2012.
- Recorded Books‘ Audiobook of Stupid Fast is available now.
LISTEN TO GEOFF READ THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS.
READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS BELOW!
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
I, Felton Reinstein, am Stupid Fast. Seriously. The upper classmen used to call me Squirrel Nut, because I was little and jumpy. Then, during sophomore year, I got tall and huge and so fast the gym teachers in their tight shorts fell all over themselves. During summer, three things happened all at once. First, the pee-smelling jocks in my grade got me to work out for football, even though I had no intention of playing. Second, on my paper route the most beautiful girl I have ever seen moved in and played piano at 6 a.m. Third, my mom, who never drinks, had some wine, slept in her car, stopped weeding the garden, then took my TV and put it in her room and decided she wouldn’t get out of bed.
Listen, I have not had much success in my life. But suddenly I’m riding around in a jock’s pick-up truck? Suddenly I’m invited to go on walks with beautiful girls? So, it’s understandable that when my little brother stopped playing piano and began to dress like a pirate I didn’t pay much attention. That I didn’t want to deal with my mom coming apart.
BUY Stupid Fast on Amazon.
Or, at Indiebound!
Congrats on the book and the JLG selection.
Really loved the first chapters and how chapter one reads like a free verse. It was fun to get a sneak peak. Wish I didn’t have to wait for June!!
All the best.
Thanks so much, Paula! I really appreciate it (I’m on pins and needles until June).
Hey, well I’m Leo’s friend Brigitte. And I read stupid fast in about 4 days, and it’s sooooo good!!! I wanna just read it again and again cause it’s just.. Just a really good book. Leo told me that there’s gonna be a sequel, and I’m pretty much dying cause I need to read it.
I’m writing the crap out of the sequel right now, Brigitte! It’ll be out next spring, but I’ll get you the electronic file as soon as it’s done. I can see by your email why you and Leo are friends! Thanks for writing!!
is the book nothing special sequel to stupid fast? if it is which one should i read first?
Hey Leo, Nothing Special is the sequel. Stupid Fast is the one to go after first.
I’m glad you asked.
Geoff