Three Clams and an Oyster [Hardcover]

Randy Powell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2002

A four-man flag-football team in need of an Oyster.

Sixteen-year-old Flint McCallister is the captain of a four-man flag-football team called Three Clams and an Oyster. Flint and the other two Clams, Beaterson and Deshutsis, are going to give this season all they’ve got, but, as usual, they’re having Oyster problems. The first Oyster on the team died a couple of years ago. The current one, Cade Savage, is partying too hard and is unreliable. Flint and the Clams are faced with a dilemma: should they stick with their old friend Cade or dump him and go with a new Oyster? And if they dump Cade, who will they get to replace him? Tim Goon, the unknown quantity with the roadkill hairdo? Thor, the nice-guy stoner? Or the girl, Summerfield, who pushes them out of their comfort zone and doesn’t shave her legs?

In searching for an Oyster, Flint and his buddies are forced to reexamine their hallowed traditions and old habits – and to take a hard look at who they are and where they’re going.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

High school juniors Flint McCallister, Dwight Deshutis, and Rick Beaterson's four-man flag football team, Three Clams and an Oyster, is short one shellfish. Cade Savage, their fourth, would rather party than practice. The guys know they have to get serious if they really want to go to Nationals, and they're soon scrambling to find a replacement before the September deadline. Should they go with Thor Hupf, who's a great player but a total stoner, or Tim Goon, who, despite his penchant for silk shirts and bad hair, owns a ski cabin that he might invite the Clams to? Their best bet is pretty jock Rachel Summerfield, whose natural talent for flag football almost outweighs the fact that she doesn't shave her legs, and well, she's a girl. Through riotously funny conversations, intense confrontations, and outright arguments, it becomes clear that there's a lot more to this three-way friendship than football. From one momentous Friday to Sunday, McCallister, Deshutis, and Beaterson wrestle with questions of life, death, and loyalty in their pursuit of the one oyster that holds their winning pearl.

Three Clams and an Oyster isn't about football any more than The Old Man and the Sea is about fishing. Instead, Randy Powell uses flag football as the metaphorical glue that holds this incredibly intelligent, subtle story about self-awareness and maturity together. He brilliantly captures that precise moment when adolescence blurs into adulthood, an epiphany that is sometimes a year in the making, or sometimes the product of one unforgettable weekend. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

Although this witty and trenchant story revolves around a flag football team, there are few scenes played on the field. As in many of Powell's previous novels (Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star; The Whistling Toilets), most of the action takes place inside the main character's head, over the course of a single weekend. Flint McCallister, captain of the four-man team called Three Clams and an Oyster, faces a dilemma: he has to find a replacement for the "Oyster," irresponsible Cade Savage, who fails to show up for the first game. But none of the candidates seem suitable to fill Cade's sneakers. There's Goon, whose anatomical quirks, silk shirt with puffy sleeves and dance moves lead Flint to describe him as Wayne Newton with breasts. Then there's Thor, the womanizer. Rachel Summerfield appears to be a much better prospect, but having a girl on the team especially one who doesn't shave her legs might be more than the Clams can handle. Flint's search for a fourth teammate evolves into a journey of discovery as he reflects upon his team's past and future and mulls over his relationships with the other players. The tone of the intimate first-person narrative skillfully shifts from philosophical to comical to poignant, allowing readers to experience the gradual opening up of Flint's clam-shell world as he lets go of the familiar and welcomes new possibilities. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374375267
• ISBN-13: 978-0374375263
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,347,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 1, 2006

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Clams and an Oyster (Paperback)

Flint McCallister is the captain of a four-man flag football team. The weekend before the beginning of the season he finds himself one man short, sort of. Flint, Rick Beaterson, Dwight Deshutsis, and Cade Savage have been friends since first grade. Lately though, they can't seem to count on Cade. He doesn't show up for practice, doesn't call, and spends a lot of time getting drunk and high, things the other boys don't agree with. So now they're in a difficult position. Do they keep hoping their old friend will come around, or do they replace him? If they replace him, who do they get instead?

The Clams try out a few people half-heartedly and with mixed and rather amusing results. Their best prospect is a girl. But are they ready to deal with a girl on their team? Are they ready to deal with the changes that will make between them? Above and beyond all, what do they do about Cade?

A great look at the nature of friendship, this book is more about the interaction between people than about football. It will appeal to girls and boys alike, and for similar reasons, but with different affects. It's interesting for me, as a girl, to get an idea of how teenage boys think. Friendships aren't so different, whether it be groups of boys or groups of girls, and the subtle shift that occurs when the opposite sex appears. The book itself is almost profound in its subtlety. Reading this reminded me of all of the times I've been the only girl in a room full of boys. Eventually they forget you're there, and you get to hear some pretty surprising stuff. And the most surprising part is how similar it is when girls talk with their good friends.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three Clams and a Decision, May 26, 2003

By 

Kat (Jupiter, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Clams and an Oyster (Hardcover)

Your watch is ticking. You wait as Deshutis and Beaterson toss around the ball waiting for Savage to show up. You know in your mind that he's not going to show, but your heart says wait. He used to be your best bud! You got to give him one last shot right? But then again he stood you up! He wasted your valuable field time. So it's either time to find a replacement or stick with Cade "no show" Savage. Your at a disadvantage though. Every other team as all of the usual flag football players and the number of people who are interested and not on a team are few. And filling Cade's shoes isn't going to be easy. You need an "oyster" and pronto, otherwise you're not going to be able to play this season. So what are your choices as a replacement? Deshutis recommends Tim Goon, a guy from his apartment complex. But when you go to check him out, he's not what you have in mind. You don't want a "pretty boy" on your "tough guy" football team. There's always Thor, the ladiesman. But he might lead you down the path of another Cade. Then again there's always Rachel Summerfield, a very sporty girl. Sure she doesn't shave her legs, but she's good. But she pushes the guys out of their comfort zone, so the guys are faced with a tough decision. Should they go with Summerfield the GIRL, who makes the boys feel uncomfortable, Thor, the womanizer, Goon, that Flint describes as a Wayne Newton with breasts, or should they stick with Cade? To find out who becomes the teams new "oyster", read Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy Powell. This book is no more then just football, it's about struggles in life and friendship. It's a great book and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is faced with decisions in life!

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, July 3, 2008

By 

Amy Ward (Lawrence County, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Clams and an Oyster (Paperback)

Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy Powell is a very simple book, in theory. It tells the story of three friends trying to find a fourth member for their flag football team and takes place over the course of one weekend. What we, the readers, learn over that weekend is the lives, dreams, and history of those boys. Through simple scenes, such as the boys spending an afternoon at Goodwill, the reader feels like a part of their lives. The task of finding a new player forces these boys to analyze themselves and their lives. It forces them to face the past and look towards the future. It's also very humorous. I love the way they talk and ride each other. I would laugh out loud at some parts while I read! It's a quick, smooth, entertaining story that I would definitely recommend to all readers!