Surface Tension

Starred review from February 23, 2009
Runyon's (The Burn Journals
; Maybe
) stirring coming-of-age novel is set at the lakeside cottage where Luke and his parents spend two weeks every summer. Each of the four chapters presents a different stage of Luke's adolescence between the ages of 13 and 16, tracing his emotional, hormonal and physical changes and his broadening perception of his surroundings, particularly the neighbors. There is the eccentric Richardson family, fastidious about their yard and cottage; a newcomer minister who marks his territory with a floodlight and Confederate flag; and a mysterious girl whose father allegedly stole Luke's father's barbecue. (“Her eyes look like an Egyptian queen's eyes. They're huge and brown and I don't know why, but I want to stare into them for as long as I can,” Luke pines.) The detail-rich story offers the type of intensity that sneaks up on readers, not taking a firm hold until the end, when previous events take on new meaning. Despite the book's structure, the plot seems to move in a spiral, revisiting familiar landmarks that inevitably change over time and digging underneath the surface. Ages 14–up.

April 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Every summer, Luke and his parents take a two-week vacation at their cabin on a lake. The story follows the boy over the course of four summers: at 13, 14, 15, and 16. From early teen excitedness to midteen pretension, this is a subtle and often humorous portrait of how age influences one's outlook on life, friends, parents, girls, etc. Luke is delightfully honest (and frank), and a likable and realistic protagonist. "Surface Tension" offers readers an introspective glimpse into a pretty normal adolescent life, and it's likely to be enjoyed by teens who are in the throes of trying to figure things out for themselves."Emily Chornomaz, Brooklyn Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Grades 8-11 Runyon (The Burn Journals, 2004) tracks the changes in an adolescent boy over four summers, from ages 13 to 16. Each section covers the familys two-week vacation at their lakeside cottage. The repetitive structure allows readers to see the drastic changes in Luke as he veers from an exuberant middle-schooler whose primary concerns are making sure to fit in enough fishing, rock-skipping, exploring, and star-gazing, through early puberty in which the bikini-clad neighbors and sexual fantasies dominate his thoughts, to an alternately glowering and love-struck teenager finding expression in bad poetry and sullenness. Runyon fairly nails each stage of adolescence, which itself presents a tricky problem: readers who will be drawn to one end of the spectrum may not welcome the other. And at times, the details seem more suited to an adult nostalgia piece (did any kids have Star Wars bedsheets and an E.T. poster in 2005?). But Lukes voice, narrating in the present tense, and his fixations are believable throughout, and Runyon displays a knack for drawing dramatic tension out of the most routine personal encounters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)