Last Exit to Normal

The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon

When Ben was 14 years old, his dad came out of the closet. Shortly after that, Ben's world fell apart. His mom moved out, Edward "the Boyfriend" moved in, and Ben started an active campaign of bad behavior to make his dad miserable...or at least make his dad pay attention to Ben's unhappiness.

Three years (and a ton of joints plus a few encounters with the police later) Ben is yanked out of his familiar Spokane surroundings and moved with his unconventional new family to a small farming community where "different" often means "outcast"....or worse. And there is no doubt that Ben's spiked hair and tattoos and two-dad family will label him different from the neighbors.

But somebody in Rough Butte, Montana is more unhappy than Ben.

The potentially angst-filled tale is lightened by Ben's own sense of humor, and highly recommended for readers ages 12 and up who sometimes feel different from the people around them. The story contains some minor cussing, a few innocent kisses and a couple of dirty jokes, but everybody keeps their clothes on (even Ben and his awesome new girlfriend).