Ryan Dean West is back to his boarding school antics in this "brave
[and] wickedly funny" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) sequel to
Winger.
It's his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on
his future, but instead, he's haunted by his past. His rugby coach
expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as
the rugby team's stand-off and new captain. And somehow he's stuck
rooming with twelve-year-old freshman Sam Abernathy, a cooking whiz with
extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman--aka Ryan
Dean's girlfriend, for now, anyway.
Equally distressing, Ryan Dean's doodles and drawings don't offer the
relief they used to. He's convinced N.A.T.E. (the Next Accidental
Terrible Experience) is lurking around every corner--and then he runs
into Joey's younger brother Nico, who makes Ryan Dean feel paranoid that
he's avoiding him. Will Ryan Dean ever regain his sanity?
From the author of 100 Sideways Miles, which Kirkus Reviews called
"a wickedly witty and offbeat novel," Stand-Off is filled with
hand-drawn infographics and illustrations and delivers the same spot-on
teen voice and relatable narrative that legions of readers connected
with in Winger.