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The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine

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Life is not easy for Dylan Fontaine. He gets good grades. He is a talented basketball player with a shot at varsity next year. He is a good guitar player and a gifted artist. Basically, he is an All-American, boy-next-door type, so when he is arrested for shoplifting underwear and carrying marijuana in his pocket, it gets people's attention. However, once he explains the weird set of circumstances that led up to that arrest, Dylan finds himself with a mere 20-hours of community service, and then it's back to the usual routine of cooking and cleaning for his father and his older brother, Randy.

Although things may seem normal, Dylan's life is in turmoil. His artist mother recently left to pursue her art and possibly her artist lover. His father, an ob/gyn, spends every waking hour at the hospital delivering babies and taking care of other families. Older brother Randy is no help either, since he spends his time getting high and hanging out with the losers in his band. That leaves Dylan with no one.

Recently there does seem to be the possibility of a love life for Dylan. His best friend, Angie, has just returned from a summer film-making class and, since the breakup with her boyfriend, perhaps it is time for Dylan to make his move. After all, she is making him the subject of the short film she's making for her class. Then there is also the gorgeous new member of his brother's band, Chloe. She is around all the time and pays a lot of attention to Dylan. Is it possible he might have a chance with her, too?

Dylan Fontaine is a fascinating character. Author April Lurie writes about his crazy life in a way that will have readers flipping pages to see how things turn out. The mix of down-to-earth, wholesome Dylan and his brother's fast, risk-taking lifestyle make THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE a book with something for everyone.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

April Lurie's THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE tells of a broken family, a female best friend who only wants to be Dylan's buddy - and Dylan, who stars in his best friend's movie only to discover life is evolving in different directions for him. An excellent leisure read for middle school readers.

A MOTHER WHO split for another man.

A father who works 24/7.

An older brother who excels at everything--and smokes a lot of weed.

A best friend, of the feminine persuasion, who only wants to be a friend, and who's shooting a film set in cool Greenwich Village, New York.

Dylan Fontaine's life seems to be full of drama he can't control. But when he stars in his best friend's movie, Dylan discovers that, sometimes, life's big shake-ups force you to take risks--and to step into the spotlight.

April Lurie captured the relationship between two brothers pretty well. Dylan's emotions were well-captured and they leapt out of the pages and took over you. Dylan was a fascinating character that kept you flipping pages. The book had a mix between drama and humor. It was an amazing coming-of-age story as well.The film that Dylan's best friend was filming helped shape Dylan and I loved how that was added in the book. The story deals with how much a family can change when a member leaves and it felt real.Divorce not only affects the spouses but the children as well. I hated how Dylan's dad didn't seem to care about his family but I loved it when he was told what they really think of him. The novel was humorous, sad, and just plain great.The ending was pretty good. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.
-Carol
www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com

Lurie, A. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. New York: Delacorte Press, 2008. 208 pp.

Dylan's mother has left the family to run away to Paris with her art mentor, his workaholic father is never home, and his older brother Randy is always getting high with the losers in his band. To make matters worse, his best friend Angie only wants to be just that, his friend.

Dylan Fontaine, basketball star, guitarist, artist, all-around-good kid, needs something to shake up his life and get him headed in a more positive direction. Unfortunately, his humiliating arrest for shoplifting (two pairs of underwear) and marijuana possession (his brother's stash) is not it.

Then aspiring director Angie steps in, with her detestable boyfriend/ex-boyfriend Jonathan, and forces him to star in a movie about himself: The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine.

Author April Lurie seeks to make the movie the device that finally brings Dylan out of his rut. With the camera rolling, Dylan tries things he once would never have dared: being a juggler's assistant, playing no-holds-barred New York City street basketball, kissing Angie. Everything begins to go Dylan's way far too quickly to be believable. Faintly drawn characters don't help the reader keep interest. The housekeeper is a stereotypical European martinet, his dad a stereotypical job-obsessed M.D. and Randy's bandmates are all so similar that it is hard to tell them apart.

The novel, Lurie's third, after Brothers, Boyfriends & other Criminal Minds and Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn, could have been a better story with deeper characters and less formula, and Dylan, while likable, is not credible as a character, and it is hard to find empathy with him. The author's curious point that sudden spontaneity is all that is needed to bring happiness stretches the reader's credulity to the breaking point.