Ryan Dean West is back to his boarding school antics in this bitingly
funny sequel to Winger, which Publishers Weekly called "alternately
hilarious and painful, awkward and enlightening" (Publishers Weekly,
starred review).
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 the National Book Award-nominated 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.