Californium by R. Dean Johnson is told totally from a guy’s
perspective. That guy is 14 year old Reece who is beginning his freshman year
at high school and trying to be cool after just moving to California in the
early 1980s with his family. Reece hangs out with Treat (a Mohawk-wearing kid
who does not seem to care what anyone thinks) and Keith (who thinks he gets it
all, but really doesn’t). Together the
trio form a punk rock band and rely on friends like Edie and Cherise to build
interest in their music.
Honestly, it seems that this crossover book may have more
appeal for adults who will want to look back fondly (or maybe not so fondly!) on
life as a high schooler in the 80s – think Breakfast
Club, right? The main characters are definitely immature – although they do
grow. Being so young and naïve, the characters are
unlikely to hold interest of older high school students. There might also be appeal, though, for
middle school students who are themselves dealing with the questions of
acceptance and transition to high school.
The humor in Californium (subtitled “A Novel of Punk
Rock, Growing Up, and Other Dangerous Things”) is not quite as much fun as
other books about young teenage boys - Carter
Finally Gets It, for example. However, debut novelist Johnson offers authentic voices and does a credible job of
making us feel invested in Reece, Treat, Keith and the band over a rather long
read. Elements of romance, strained family relationships, and typical teen
angst mix with a couple of surprising twists as the story proceeds. If you are
feeling nostalgic, pick up Californium and be transported to 1980s
high school in Southern California.
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