Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film about The Grapes of Wrath
By Steven Goldman

Mitchell Wells, a high school junior, could be the biggest loser on the planet. He has one best friend, David, though this gets a little awkward when David comes out to Mitchell. His decent GPA is about to be tank because of a Claymation film Mitchell turns in as an alternative project for a typical three to five page paper on The Grapes of Wrath containing violence, nudity, ketchup packet blood bursts, and a flying monkey sequence among other interesting additions that has little actual connection to The Grapes of Wrath, though Steinbeck does make a cameo appearance as Satan played by a nude dancing Ken doll with Steinbeck’s photo tapped to its face. And girls… well, does hanging out with his sister and her best friend count? Goldman captures the reality of male adolescence in his young adult debut, though slightly ridiculous, but what average, contemporary American high school experience isn’t? This humorous, at times laugh-out-loud story will be enjoyed by all kinds of readers, even those who actually like their high school experience.