Neanderthal Opens The Door To The Universe

(Hardback)

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Description

Cliff Hubbard is a huge loser. 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. One day, 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.

Reviews

*"Funny and sweetly oddball book... At the story's core is an unsentimental treatment of a bullied kid and his one-time bully discovering their commonalities. That Norton accomplishes this without moralizing and in inventively rhythmic and pop-culture-saturated language only adds to the fun."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
*"Preston Norton's.... characters speak with a whip-smart, profanity-laced snark that belies the fragility lurking in even the biggest brutes. Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe is a book for any teen, teeming with despair, hope and transcendence."--Shelf Awareness (starred review)
*"The book... cogently explores large issues that plague and perplex teens... Will appeal to teens who are, themselves, seeking doors to the universe."--Booklist (starred review)
"Cliff... is intelligent and vulgar in equal measure in this story about belief both transcendental and intimate... With a number of references any cinephile would appreciate, the cleverly plotted novel attests that discovering meaning anywhere or with anyone is invaluable."--BCCB
"Laugh-out-loud. Funny, well-plotted and sneakily thought-provoking."--School Library Journal
"Preston Norton brings an exciting, sharp voice to YA. NEANDERTHAL is both heartbreaking and hopeful."--Goldy Moldavsky, bestselling author of Kill the Boy Band
"Touching, funny, and utterly unforgettable."--Robyn Schneider, author of The Beginning of Everything
AccoladesALA 2019 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young AdultsYALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List2018 Cybils Award, young Adult Fiction NomineeTeenreads' Teen Choice Book Award 2019, NomineeGeek Mom: Upcoming Reads for Kids Summer Reading Fun (selection, 2018)Hypable: Start summer off right with these June 2018 YA book releases! (selection)Houston Family Magazine: Summer Reading Picks (selection, 2018)

Author Bio

Preston Norton is: bisexual, slightly genderqueer, married. His partner, Erin, is trying to put him on a diet, and he's revolting (both contexts apply). He has taught seventh grade and ninth grade English, mentored drug addicts, and mowed lawns (in no particular order). He is obsessed with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Quentin Tarantino.