Best Selling Books by Chris Lynch

DIVElvin just wants to fit in—but how can he find his place when he doesn’t know what to look for?/divDIV/divDIVElvin Bishop is about to attend a three-week-long high school orientation camp, where each student is “slotted” or placed on an athletic team. Chubby, fourteen-year-old Elvin knows this is not the place for him. From the start, he’s told that some kids get picked on more than others, and to “try not to be one of those guys.” His friends encourage him to toughen up, to avoid being a geek by acting more confident. The trouble is, Elvin doesn’t quite know what kind of guy he is. And what if the kind of guy he is now isn’t the kind of guy he’ll be in four years?/divDIV /divDIVAt times laugh-out-loud funny, Slot Machine is a keenly felt story of the push and pull of wanting to belong./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /div

High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

DIVAfter taking refuge in the Sullivan home, Mick crosses over into the dangerous world of dogfighting/divDIV /divDIV/divDIVSomething is tearing away at Mick. Despite finding some stability in the comfort of the Sullivan family, and his friendships with Toy, Sully, and Evelyn, he can’t seem to escape his roots. Remembering too clearly the bigotry of his old neighborhood and alcoholic older brother, Terry, Mick decides to seek revenge. And what better way to make Terry pay than in a winner-takes-all game of Terry’s favorite illegal sport: dogfighting./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV/div

A teen runs away from his broken life and invents a new one in this “absorbing and satisfying” (Booklist) adventure from Printz Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Chris Lynch. Crystal City called for him, and Kevin answered. And why wouldn’t he? His relationship with his father is broken—as is his arm. With barely anyone to miss him or care if he’s gone, it seemed like the perfect time for Kevin to run away to his estranged uncle and create an entirely new identity. New name. New attitude. New friends. Maybe even a new girl. From the first moment of adventure, Kevin’s life takes a turn for the exciting. Making friends seems easy with his new persona, especially when a group of homeless beach bums instantly includes him in their crew. But do they like the real Kevin, or the guy he’s pretending to be? And will this new lifestyle help Kevin escape from the misery of his former life—or will it drag him right back into the reasons he left home?

“I hit him so hard, the clash of helmets and pads sounded like a gunshot across the field. I crushed him with the hit, held on to him and crushed him again when I slammed him into the ground . . . I had arrived.” Arlo Brodie loves being at the heart of the action on the football field, getting hit hard and hitting back harder. Arlo’s dad cheers him on, but his mother quotes head injury statistics and refuses to watch games. Arlo’s girlfriend tries to make him see how dangerously he’s playing; when that doesn’t work, she calls time out on their relationship.Even Arlo’s coaches begin to track his hit count, ready to pull him off the field when he nears the limit. But for Arlo the winning plays, the cheering crowds, and the adrenaline rush are enough to convince him that everything is OK--in spite of the pain, the pounding, the dizziness, and the confusion. “Powerful.” —The New York Times Book Review “Sharp.” —Sports Illustrated “Heart-pounding.” —Washington Independent Review of Books “A powerful provocative look at the dark side of popular sports and their potential cost.” —Publishers Weekly “This unflinching examination of the price of athletic power with plenty of bone-crunching play-by-play action, is both thought-provoking and formidable.” —The Horn Book Magazine A Booklist 2015 Top Ten Sports Books for Youth A Junior Library Guild Selection

“Lynch is back and better, smarter, and funnier than ever.” —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner A boy learns how to be a friend from man’s best friend in this “funny, fetching” (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel about humans being able to change and dogs changing us from acclaimed author Chris Lynch. In a family of strong personalities with very strong points of view, Louis is what his mother lovingly calls “the inactivist,” someone who’d rather kick back than stand out. He only hopes he can stay under the radar when he starts high school in the fall, his first experience with public school after years of homeschooling. But when a favor for a neighbor and his stinky canine companion unexpectedly turns into a bustling dog-walking business, Louis finds himself meeting an unprecedented number of new friends—both human and canine. Agatha, a quippy and cagey girl his age always seems to be telling two truths and a lie. Cyrus, a few years his senior, promises he’s going to show Louis how to be a better person, whether Louis wants him to or not. And then there are the dogs: misbehaving border terriers, the four (possible stolen) sausage dogs, the rest of Louis’s charges, and a mysterious white beast who appears at a certain spot at the edge of the woods. Dogs and human alike all seem to have something they want to teach Louis, including his menacing older brother who keeps turning up everywhere. But is Louis ready to learn the lesson he needs most: how to stop being a lone wolf and be part of a pack?

A teen revives the legacy of his lost brother in this “exceptional” (Kirkus Reviews) companion to Iceman, from National Book Award finalist Chris Lynch. When Eric’s brother Duane dies, his world breaks in two. Duane was his best friend—possibly his only friend. And Eric isn’t sure how to live in a world without Duane in it. Desperate to find a piece of his brother to hold on to, Eric decides to meet some of the people who received Duane’s organs. He expects to meet perfect strangers. Instead he encounters people who become more than friends and almost like family—people who begin to help Eric put the pieces of his life back together for good. From internationally acclaimed author Chris Lynch comes a gripping and enduring exploration of loss and recovery in this companion to the celebrated Iceman.

DIVEarl doesn’t want to be a bully. It’s not his fault that his body is as big as a football player’s!/divDIV/divDIVThirteen-year-old middle-schooler Earl has the body and facial scruff of a man—and this gets him into trouble. Everyone thinks Earl’s a tough guy, but he’s just trying to get by. Thinking he knows what’s right from wrong—and using his fists to prove his point—earns him a week’s suspension from school. Earl thinks he’ll have a relaxing week, but things soon slip out of his control when his home life starts to fall apart. He may be as big as a grown-up, but Earl will learn that being a man means more than how you look on the outside./divDIV/div

Originally published by HarperCollins, 2001.

Oliver, known as "O," and his suddenly ex-girlfriend Junie are are known for telling little lies, but one of Junie''s lies about not winning the lottery could get her into trouble with a local mob boss.

In a future where electronic surveillance has replaced love, Zane uses technology to talk to animals and battles a veterinarian who is working on a device to control animal movement and speech, using Zane''s dog as his first test case.

Four best friends serving in the Vietnam War make a pledge to one another that they will do all they can to return home safely together.

Fourteen-year-old Eric, a ruthless hockey player prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents.

DIVWhy is Elvin such a lightning rod for people trying to improve him?/divDIV/divDIVFor as long as Elvin can remember, it’s been just him and his mom, the only blood relative he knows. But out of the blue, his supposedly dead uncle, Alex, shows up. Elvin learns that years ago, Alex stole the money his dad had left to him and his mom—but now Alex wants to make amends with Elvin. He wants to improve all sorts of things, offering to fix Elvin’s hair and get him a gym membership. The problem is, Elvin doesn’t think his life needs fixing./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /divDIV/div

Delve into the mind of a teen whose journey of self-discovery leads to the unthinkable in this tense and terse novel from award-wining author Chris Lynch. Alexander, who wants to be called Xan, is a misfit. He has never fit in—not in academics, sports, or social life. He’s an awkward loner who hasn’t been able to find his place in the world. Robert is Xan’s half-brother, and unlike Xan, Robert seems to have his life together. At eighteen, he’s enrolled in community college with a decent job and a great girlfriend. Robert often teases his brother, but he’s also his biggest supporter. No matter what, he’s got Xan’s back. When Robert starts to suspect that Xan is traveling down a dangerous path, he may be the only one who can save Xan from self-destructing—before it’s too late. But can Robert save himself? This edgy exploration of what goes on in the mind of someone pushed to the brink examines the seeds of extremism that exist in everyone—and is sure to captivate readers of all kinds.

You have to love your family. You do, even if you don''t, right? You don''t have to understand them or play tennis with them, but you have to love them. It''s a rule, and it''s the kind of rule you don''t break unless you''re some kind of animal. My brother happens to be some kind of animal. My sister rides this sweet gold Honda scooter and has amazing hair. You''d hate her. My parents are vegetarian let-the-sunshine-in freaks. Lovable freaks but freaks all the same. My grandu00adfather possesses a shocking comb-over, a kilt, about half of his original marbles, and his own golf complex. This summer, we are all working for him. It is going to be two hot, lucrative, carefree months of paradise. Or, possibly something else.

DIVDoes being loyal make you a hero or a coward?/divDIV/divDIVFifteen-year-old, Irish-American Mick lives in the heavily segregated streets of Boston, where loyalty is paramount and straying from your roots is dangerous. After taking part in a racist attack during a crowded Saint Patrick’s Day parade, Mick, who is caught on a TV camera, is considered a hero by his alcoholic older brother and the barflys from his neighborhood pub. But his school becomes a battlefield when Mick becomes the target of every group that has ever wanted to get a fist on him. As Mick becomes more aware of the humanity behind color lines, he realizes that tormenting people for nothing more than the color of their skin is just plain wrong—but separating himself from his roots will be Mick’s biggest fight yet./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV/divDIV/div

Keir Sarafian must finally confront his past when tragedy strikes during his first year of what has been an eye-opening first year of college.

DIVThe move to a lovely seaside cottage unravels the McLuckie family’s tight spool of emotions/divDIV /divDIV/divDIVThe McLuckie family has not been so lucky. After losing two wives, Mr. McLuckie has been left with one child from each love: ten-year-old Walter and fourteen-year-old Sylvia. He decides to move the family to a new home, a ramshackle seaside cottage called the Gravedigger’s Cottage, where they can start anew. But soon Mr. McLuckie starts acting strangely, taking a leave of absence from work and becoming obsessed with fixing leaks, stockpiling canned foods, and chasing a mysterious rat. Then, Sylvia and Walter hear the rumor of the Gravedigger’s Cottage: the house “chooses” its occupants. How will the McLuckies get the fresh start they so desperately need?/divDIV/divDIV/div

Boxing is the family sport—but it’s killing the family in this riveting read from the author of Inexcusable, a National Book Award finalist. It’s been five years since his father died, and fourteen-year-old George is the man of the family. He knows all too well how brutal the life of a fighter can be. Didn’t it kill his father? But Monty, George’s younger brother, has a completely different attitude. Boxing comes naturally to him. It’s in his blood. He thinks of it as his father’s legacy. Unless George figures out a way to stop it, will boxing kill Monty, too?

DIVGordie Foley can’t wait to coast through his senior year—so how did he end up running for mayor?/divDIV/divDIVThe best girl, the best car, and the best class schedule—Gordie Foley has it all in his final year of high school. When his beloved grandfather, the former mayor of the town, gives Gordie his trademark Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk for his eighteenth birthday, Gordie can’t wait to live the most awesome senior year ever. But his grandfather has other plans. Calling the shots from prison, where he has been sent for racketeering, he sets up Gordie to run for town mayor to keep the family name in the news. Now Gordie is heading down the campaign trail—and this is a ride he can’t just coast through./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV/divDIV/div

DIVThree lifelong buddies struggle against the hold of their church leaders/divDIV /divDIV/divDIV“Don’t let me fall behind” is the spoken promise between best friends Drew, Skitz, and Hector. The three teens live in a blurred church-school environment at the mercy of three priests who have an ominous power over them and their families. Together, Drew, Skitz, and Hector can get through the cruelties and power games of Fathers “Blarney,” “Mullarkey,” and “Shenanigan,” as the boys call them. Together, the boys can deal with any issue—until suspected abuse begins to threaten their bond of friendship./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV/div

DIVTwo best friends are caught in a love triangle with fatal consequences/divDIV/divDIVPauly and Oakley have been best friends since they were kids. When newcomer Lilly moves to their small New England town, both boys fall in love with her immediately. Unbalanced Pauly becomes Lilly’s boyfriend, and Oakley becomes the one she confides in—the one who always puts things right. But a love triangle can’t stay peaceful for long, and erratic, obsessive Pauly can’t be trusted. How can Oakley keep making things right when things are so very wrong?/divDIV /div

DIVThe He-Men must stay strong when one of their members starts talking to the enemy: a girl!/divDIV/divDIVOne of the He-Man Women Haters blatantly violates the main rule of the club: consorting with the enemy. And this enemy’s not just any girl; she’s someone’s sister—Ling’s sister! When Wolfgang is put on trial for his misdeed, the boys discover it’s getting tougher to be feared and respected in their neighborhood, especially with dissent in the ranks./divDIV/div

DIVHow can Mick break free from a family that won’t let him go?/divDIV/divDIVIn the second book in the Blue-Eyed Son trilogy, Mick’s brutal brother, Terry, prepares for his annual May Day party. But this is no ordinary party—it’s two full days of disgusting pranks and drunken violence. Terry throws the bash to prove that if you aren’t in his circle, then you’re in his sights. Mick’s parents would rather not know what goes on, so they clear out and leave their sons home alone. Mick doesn’t want to be there when the mayhem erupts—but distancing himself from his home and his family will be no easy feat./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /div

DIVIn the He-Man Women Haters Club, there are no girls allowed!/divDIV/divDIVConvinced that girls don’t play by the same rules as guys and are impossible to understand, thirteen-year-old Steven forms a club for “He-Men” only. Jerome, Wolfgang, and Ling-Ling are the other members: three misfits who have no idea what it really means to be a “He-Man.” Steven wants to be a “Johnny Chesthair” just like his bully of a father, and he tries to create the club rules and take charge. But soon the club is out of his control. Girls laugh at him, and his friends won’t listen. Does Steven have what it takes to be a “He-Man”? And what is a “He-Man,” anyway?/divDIV /divDIV/divDIV /div

DIVBaseball-loving seventh grader Richard has hopes of turning himself and the new kid, Napoleon, into the best baseball players Boston has seen since the Gold Dust Twins/divDIV/divDIV“As long as you have baseball on your side you can overcome anything.” Seventh grader Richard Moncreif is convinced baseball will ease newcomer Napoleon Charlie Ellis’s transition to life in Boston. Napoleon is unlike anyone he’s ever met: poised, well educated, and a cricket player from the Caribbean. Napoleon is one of the few black students at Richard’s school, where racism is pervasive. But Richard believes that he and Napoleon can get through any hardship and become the next Gold Dust Twins, just like the famous pair of Red Sox rookies from 1975. After all, Napoleon is a natural athlete, and Richard knows everything anyone could possibly know about baseball. He just needs Napoleon to play along./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /divDIV/div

"The best Vietnam War novels yet for this age range." -- Kirkus Reviews Of all his friends, Ivan is the only one looking forward to war.That''s because Ivan has never backed down from a fight--especially when it comes to fighting for what''s right. He has protected his friends from bullies for years. And now, as war erupts in Vietnam, Ivan wants nothing more than to fight for his country, just as his father did in World War II.Enlisting in the United States Army, Ivan is trained to be a sniper. And he''s good at it. Very good. But Vietnam is not the war he was expecting. Somehow the glory and heroism of his father''s war stories do not come so easily in the jungle.Now, for the first time, Ivan is forced to question what he''s really fighting for... and whether it''s a fight he can hope to win.

"All the sizzle, chaos, noise and scariness of war is clay in the hands of ace storyteller Lynch." -Kirkus Reviews for the World War II series The First Special Service Force is an elite commando unit composed of American and Canadian troops. From the start, the Force is intended to go where other soldiers won''t. The call for volunteers specifically singles out lumberjacks, hunters, prospectors, and game wardens as ideal candidates. And their training is anything but "basic," including intense lessons in parachuting, hand-to-hand combat, skiing, rock climbing, and adaptation to cold climates.One tight group of young men have made a point of carrying The Commando Pocket Manual with them everywhere. They build a unified little community around it, a text to guide them through the war.As this team travels through Germany, taking down Nazis as they go, they also carry calling cards to leave behind. The stickers read, in German, "The worst is yet to come."

A gripping account of espionage and loyalty that Booklist calls “a compact, frayed-nerves bundle of brilliance,” from National Book Award Finalist Chris Lynch. All Daniel wants to do is spend one last summer with his grandfather before he moves away for college and his grandfather’s dementia pulls them apart. But when his dear old Da starts to let things slip about the job he used to hold—people he’s killed, countries he’s overthrown—old work “friends” show up to make sure he stays quiet. Was his grandfather really involved in a world of assassinations and coups, or are the stories just delusions of a crumbling mind? On the run from the police (and possibly something worse) before he has time to find out, Daniel may have to sacrifice everything to protect his grandfather from those who would do him harm.

"The best Vietnam War novels yet for this age range." -- Kirkus Reviews Morris, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck were best friends. So when one of them was drafted into the Vietnam War, the others signed up, too. They promised to watch out for one another. They pledged to come home together.Now, that pledge has been broken. One of the four has been killed in action. And the remaining three are the only men alive who know the awful truth about their friend''s death.Each is left to deal with their secret in his own way. One of them will accompany his friend''s body home to Boston. One of them will defy orders in an act of protest. And one of them will decide it''s up to him to single-handedly win the war.In the end, Vietnam may claim more than their lives. As the war grinds on, their very souls are at stake. And their shattered friendship will prove either their salvation... or their ruin.

DIVIs being popular really as fun as it seems?/divDIV/divDIVAfter surviving high school orientation camp, Elvin and his two best friends embark on their freshman year at an all-boys school. High school serves up all sorts of hardships: the dreaded rumor mill, dances with the local sister school, and jockeying to be seen with the “right” type of people. But for overweight Elvin, figuring out who the “right” people are is almost as confusing as his relationship with food./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Chris Lynch including rare images from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /divDIV/div

If you do it right, it can be a life. The hothouse, the guys, the glory. But just like that, it can all go up in smoke. In the beginning it was strange, ya know, because of all that we had lost. But there was something about it that felt so good and so right, too: "I''m so proud of you, Russ." "We''ll always be here for you, man." "Heroes don''t pay for nothin'' in this town." It was nonstop. The mayor shook my hand. Ladies sent food. I''ve never eaten so much baked ham in my life. And now? Now the phone won''t stop ringing from the crazies ready to blame me. My mom has to cry herself to sleep. They take a firefighter, a man, and they pump him up so big. . . . But once they start taking it away from you, they don''t stop until they leave nothing on the bones. First they needed heroes, then they needed blood.

DIVThe He-Man Women Haters Club is about to discover something more terrifying than girls: camping!/divDIV/divDIVIn this follow-up to Johnny Chesthair, thirteen-year-old Steven has been ousted as the leader of the club he formed for boys only. As the members reorganize under new leader Jerome, Steven’s father and uncle decide to take the boys into a real man’s world—a place where men can be men: the deep woods! Now, Steven, Ling-Ling, Wolfgang, and Jerome must deal with eating bugs, a paintball war, and a wild storm. To make it through the weekend, the He-Men will need to man up!/divDIV/div

DIVNothing breaks the heart of a He-Man Women Hater like one of their own joining ranks with the girls!/divDIV/divDIVWhen Wolf forms his own club in a beauty shop with the Girl Scouts as members, the He-Man Women Haters take it as a declaration of war. Then Jerome strays from the group after visiting the beauty shop, and Steven knows he must take action, letting a girl into his club. But soon the He-Men realize they are in over their heads! The final book in the He-Man Women Haters Club series is filled with betrayal, defections, and double agents as Wolf and Steven face off. It’s an all-out war, and only the best club will survive./divDIV/divDIV/div

Previously published in 1994 by HarperCollins.

From National Book Award nominee Chris Lynch, the third action-and-humor-filled futuristic series about talking pets who are tired of being pets ... and the boy who must help them. Zane and his animal comrades have foiled Dr. Gristle''s terrible plots twice--he can''t talk to animals, and he can''t get at the heart of what makes them wild. Zane can talk to them. He can understand them. He almost is one. Almost. Zane keeps getting in Dr. Gristle''s way though - and he''s being sent as far out of the way as Gristle can get him. In fact, he''s being sent right into the middle of a new plot of the bad doctor''s--and in his new, utterly foreign surroundings, he''s entirely too human.

"All the sizzle, chaos, noise and scariness of war is clay in the hands of ace storyteller Lynch." -- Kirkus Reviews Chris Lynch concludes his gritty, thoughtful, and critically acclaimed WWII fiction series -- providing entirely new insight into "The Good War."The US Marines Corps is home to some of the roughest, toughest combatants in World War II. Their courage and daring are legendary. And the best of the best -- the boldest among them -- are joining the Corps'' elite new paratrooper combat unit. As Paramarines, they''ll be expected to do everything a typical Marine does... and do it while skydiving.Nick Nardini knows that he''s destined to become a Paramarine. He also knows that he has to convince his best friend, Zachary Klecko, to sign up too. Nardini and Klecko used to be inseparable, ever since they met in kindergarten, but recently they''ve been drifting apart. Fighting in the same battalion -- and jumping out of the same planes -- seems to Nardini like a surefire way to restore their bond and come out of the war stronger than ever.The Axis powers, however, may have other ideas...

The author of the acclaimed Vietnam series sets his sights on World War II. "All the sizzle, chaos, noise and scariness of war is clay in the hands of ace storyteller Lynch." -- Kirkus ReviewsTheo has always looked up to his older brother, Hank, but never more so than the day Hank enlisted in the US Navy. Not to be outdone, Theo followed his older brother''s lead in joining the war effort -- but preferring the wide open sky to the untamed ocean, Theo chose to serve with the Army Air Force.As a gunner on a B-24 Liberator, Theo is enthusiastic about his crew''s mission to save all of Europe from the Nazis. Fearlessness is a requirement for dog fights at 50,000 feet. But when Theo''s brother goes missing in the Pacific, fear start creeping in. Can Theo keep his head in the game while he awaits word of his brother''s fate?