NEANDERTHAL OPENS THE DOOR TO THE UNIVERSE
by Preston Norton
Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
From Goodreads:
Cliff Hubbard is a huge loser. Literally. His nickname at Happy Valley High School is Neanderthal because he’s so enormous-6’6″ and 250 pounds to be exact. He has no one at school and life in his trailer park home has gone from bad to worse ever since his older brother’s suicide.
There’s no one Cliff hates more than the nauseatingly cool quarterback, Aaron Zimmerman. Then Aaron returns to school after a near-death experience with a bizarre claim: while he was unconscious he saw God, who gave him a list of things to do to make Happy Valley High suck less. And God said there’s only one person who can help: Neanderthal.
To his own surprise, Cliff says he’s in. As he and Aaron make their way through the List, which involves a vindictive English teacher, a mysterious computer hacker, a decidedly unchristian cult of Jesus Teens, the local drug dealers, and the meanest bully at HVHS–Cliff feels like he’s part of something for the first time since losing his brother. But fixing a broken school isn’t as simple as it seems, and just when Cliff thinks they’ve completed the List, he realizes their mission hits closer to home than he ever imagined.
This book was provided by the good people at NetGalley and Disney/Hyperion in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Now that that official-like mumbo jumbo is out of the way… I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
I want the main character to be a real person, and then I want that real person to be my friend. Tarantino movies and making fun of stuff FOR LIFE!
Okay. What did I like so much beyond the main character? If I’m keeping it 100 with you, he’s pretty much the whole book. It’s told completely from his perspective. Most of us are a result of our environment, but Neanderthal’s environment is a result of him. Honestly, the supporting characters are great. Each one very real and very unique, but they’re living in a pretty big shadow.
Neanderthal (a.k.a. Cliff) is witty, funny, sarcastic, and full of pop culture references, most of which I know and love. All of that, of course, are the walls he’s put up to keep people from knowing the real Cliff, but fear not, dear readers. You will know the real Cliff in all his glory, warts and all. His less-than-perfect home life, the misery that lives in head, and the soft and squishy core of emotions that come out when they can no longer be contained.
On the surface, this book seems to be light, fun, and goofy. A couple of high school kids running around getting into hijinks. And while it feels like that at times, it also tackles so many issues facing high schoolers—and adults—today.
Bullying, abuse, drugs, death, and suicide. Even Religion. I’m not about to start talking about religion, but I will say that no matter what your beliefs (or lack of) you’ll be comfortable reading this book.
So who should read this book? Good question. Definitely teenagers. There are a lot of messages in this book that teenagers need to read. Also, parents of teenagers. I can’t say how well this book represents the plights of today’s teenagers, but I think it’ll give a lot of insight regardless. If you know a teenager, you might as well give it a read as well. Or… if you ever were a teenager. So, yeah, pretty much everyone.
Sounds like a really great book and I freaking love that title. Added it to my TBR! Awesome review!
I really want to read this, and I’d love my kids to read it but they don’t like to read much so that probably won’t happen. Ugh. But glad you loved it!
I know the feeling. I can’t get my kids to reach much, either. Sometimes my oldest (only 10) will come up to me with his phone and his can’t figure out how to play a game. Prompts keep coming up on the screen, TELLING HIM HOW TO PLAY THE GAME, and he just keeps hitting the first button he sees. smh
This sounds like a great read and I loved your review! Adding!
Thanks! It was a great read.
Okay…. now I like the book and the title! Will add it to the TBR.