Satellite Down

This book was really solid most of the way through - a story about a high school kid with a dream to become a hard-hitting journalist, who has his dreams crushed and his self-image distorted when confronted with reality. And all written in the great style of Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars.......more

I'm conflicted about this book. It's definitely raw and unplugged - Thomas holds nothing back. I wasn't bothered by the L.A. debauchery, but the upheaval in the main character's family did get a little unreal and somewhat soap opera-ish. I think what I'm most hung up about was how the story ended, a......more

Satellite Down has a lot of potential, what with the parental conflicts and the exotic Hollywood setting. And Patrick is an interesting main character, in that he's a good stand-in for the audience as he discovers the ins and outs of Hollywood and Classroom Direct, the news show he gets to work on.......more

Like Rats Saw God, it's primary settings are Texas and California. My girlfriend says that a lot of male YA books seem to have a bit of teenage boy fantasy to them. "I couldn't really hook up with girls in high school, so I'll write about a guy who does"- that kind of thing. There is a little of tha......more

Realistic fiction, about the trials and tribulations of a small-town Texas teen who moves to Los Angeles to be an anchor on Classroom Direct, a nationally distributed news program for teens broadcast in schools (sort of like Channel One). Except for a third-act plot twist, this is my favorite of Tho......more