The Screwed Up Life of Charlie the Second

A quirky gay teenager tries to find his way through life, love, and high school in this "funny, honest and engaging book, told with attitude and style" (Bart Yates).

Being Charles James Stewart Jr.—aka "Charlie the Second"—means that fitting in is something other people do. Tall, gangly, and big-eared, he's the walking, talking epitome of a teenage geek. An embarrassment to his parents (he's not too crazy about them, either), Charlie is a virtual untouchable at his high school, where humiliation is practically an extracurricular activity. But what's driving him truly crazy is that while his hormones are raging like everyone else's and his peers are pairing off, he remains alone with his fantasies.

Then, a new guy at school begins to liven things up in Charlie's life. And for the first time in his seventeen years, he learns how it feels to be a star. But even cool guys can have problems—and that's just one of the lessons Charlie is about to learn on this deliciously sexy, risk-filled journey from which there is no turning back.

"Ferguson's exuberant portrait successfully re-creates coming-of-age's dizzy heat" in this offbeat novel about fitting in, freaking out, and surviving the endless perils of puberty (Publishers Weekly).