The Arizona Kid [Hardcover]

Ron Koertge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2005

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.

I was in the West. The Old West. The Wild West! A whole summer in a new place: a place away from my parents, a place so hot the girls probably wore bikinis to church, a place where I'd take a giant step toward my dream: becoming a vet. A place where — who knows? — anything might happen.

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Billy, 16, spends the summer in Tucson with his uncle, who is gay, working at a racetrack; he has his first sexual relationship with a girl, Cara Mae. These strands are easily woven together in a story that is fast (told mainly in dialogue) and often humorous. At the heart of it is Billy's growing sense of his own masculinity. His macho co-worker, Lew, is a survivalist and a constant source of sexual cliches; he makes a good foil for Billy. Billy's considerate uncle, meanwhile, offers him guidance in appropriate doses. The best part of the story, however, is Cara Mae's transition from defensiveness to trust as she returns Billy's affection. Koertge (Where the Kissing Never Stops) has written an entertaining book that advocates safe, responsible sex. The language is frank and the toneirreverent one moment and earnest the nexthas great appeal. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up Billy thinks he's too short, too pale, too wimpy, and too tentative to make a place for himself in a world that is taller, tanner, classieruntil he spends a marvelous summer in Arizona living with his uncle and working with race horses. There he finds a wonderful girl who thinks he's terrific and a job at which he discovers he's really good. Above all, there's his gay uncle, whose positive portrayal is rarely seen in young adult novels. Billy's Uncle Wes is the framework that supports the story, and he is the most memorable of all the characters. Billy's father, who has always accepted Wes, knows that in sending Billy to Arizona, he is sending him to a man whose own battle with life has tempered in him a strength to guide and help a nephew in need of a little strength himself. With humor and wisdom and a few well-placed kicks, Wes gently pushes Billy to independence. Billy loses his virginity during this summer, develops some muscles, learns a lot about people and himself, and returns home with a new self-confidence. Koertge's marvelous wit (also evident in Where the Kissing Never Stops Little, 1987 ) out of the mouth of his young herois a delight, and his compassion for and understanding of Wes and Billy and his summer friends shapes a funny but affecting novel. Marjorie Lewis, Scarsdale Junior High School, N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (May 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763625426
• ISBN-13: 978-0763625429
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,766,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unlikely Mentor, July 31, 2001

By 

Toby Sanders (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arizona Kid (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was some book!, April 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Arizona kid (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ARIZONA KID ROCKS!!!, April 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Arizona kid (Hardcover)

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.