Coaltown Jesus

August 26, 2013
Writing in free verse, Koertge (Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses) shows how a personal relationship with Jesus aids a guilt-stricken 14-year-old. It isn’t just a turn of phrase—Jesus actually manifests in Walker’s bedroom after the boy makes a desperate prayer on behalf of his grieving mother. Walker thinks he’s going crazy (no one else can see Jesus, though his laughter can shake a building), yet their irreverently funny conversations begin to help in ways that readers will gradually pick up on. Koertge’s Jesus is one who considers a smile to be something holy and who tells Walker, “There are limit to even my miracles,” when the teen asks to become a better basketball player. “In the Bible, you’re always so serious,” Walker says. “You’re serious enough for both of us,” Jesus responds. Koertge parcels out details about Noah’s death, and the question of “why” looms over the story, as does the idea that God helps those who help themselves. It’s a fast read, but one with substance—the conversations linger, and the healing that takes place is subtle. Ages 14–up.

November 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-How do siblings and others who remain behind cope with suicide? Walker's world is gray; he's haunted by memories of Noah's anger and the fights that his older brother often had with their mother. Now that he is dead, Mom cries every day. There seems to be no healing possible, no resolution, until Jesus strolls into Coaltown, Missouri. Not exactly the biblical Jesus, but one who appears only to infants, the dying, and to Walker. In this spare free-verse novel, Koertge's Jesus likes his mom's cooking, has a bad back, tells jokes about the old days, performs card tricks, and is happy with his flowing locks. He spends much of his time "going about his father's business" as well as helping Walker rediscover the light and joy surrounding him. At times, the writing is edgy and may tear the envelope that holds the traditional Jesus; but in spirit, the book honors Christianity and the healing power of love. Teens will be delighted with the jokes, the freshness, and the slightly subversive take on what is holy. When Jesus is asked by Walker if he needs a shower, he responds, "I'm pretty much spotless." Christians and others will appreciate the necessary miracle of human love. When Jesus leaves Coaltown, Walker watches "the sky/take off its party clothes and slip into/the comfortable pajamas of dusk."-Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2013
Months after his brother's death, an anguished teen finds his prayers for help answered in a surprising way. In this tender free-verse narrative, Koertge explores quite literally the notion of faith as a balm in the wake of devastating loss. Walker and his mother live upstairs in the small-town nursing home she owns and are still racked with grief two months after troubled 17-year-old Noah's sudden passing. Despondent over his mother's sadness, 14-year-old Walker prays for help, and soon after, Jesus shows up, looking--in Walker's estimation--"just like / your pictures" yet acting slightly less godlike than imagined. Koertge's Jesus cracks lame jokes, takes to Wheaties and Almond Joys, and appears to have slightly limited powers. Visible only to Walker and select individuals, Jesus nonetheless exhibits rather classically cryptic omniscience and can't quite answer Walker's central existential question: "Why now?" he demands. "I prayed / to God like a thousand times. And what / happened? Noah died. Didn't God look / downstairs? It's a nursing home. Half / my mom's clients are ready to check / out. But he picks a kid." Koertge's tight, spare verse captures the ineffable qualities of fraught relations and emotions. The generosity of spirit Walker exhibits makes this protagonist one easy for teen readers to not only empathize with, but emulate. Didactic yet not preachy, Koertge's tale offers much food for thought. (Fiction/poetry. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2013
Grades 8-11 Walker is grieving the loss of his older brother, Noah, so he's surprised when he finds Jesus in the middle of his bedroom. Jesus keeps appearing, and though Walker believes that no one else can see him, he's pretty sure Jesus is real. As the appearances continue, Walker begins to come to terms with his brother's death and his own strained relationship with his mother. Told in a sparse free verse, the book leaves much for readers to infer, as Noah's death is never fully explained. Indeed, so much of the story revolves around Noah and the surrounding questions that Walker is left a somewhat undeveloped character without much backstory; readers will learn most about the characters through bits of information dropped throughout. The overall focus is on the theme of dealing with grief and knowing that although questions will always be there, we can help each other through trying times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 1, 2013
What if you offered up a prayer, and Jesus answered it in person? That's what happens to fourteen-year-old Walker in Coaltown, Illinois: Lookif you're up there, help / my mom, okay? My brother's been dead / two whole months, and she's still crying. Jesus arrives: You prayedI showed up. / I would have been here sooner, / but traffic on I-55 was awful. It turns out that Jesus is a pretty ordinary Joe, with an irreverent sense of humor. He tries Wheaties for breakfast and exclaims, This is good!...We should / have had this at the last supper. But all is not yuks and good-ol'-guy stuff here. Jesus is on the scene to help the grieving Walker and his nursing-home manager mom. If the humor is broad, the life lessons are subtle, and life's big questions are wisely left as questions: Why now?' Walker asked. I prayed / to God like a thousand times. And what / happened? Noah died. Didn't God look / downstairs? It's a nursing home. Half / my mom's clients are ready to check / out. But he picks a kid.' Jesus replies that the philosophers and brainiacs are still working on that one. Koertge's verse novelin third person with short lines, plain language, and abundant white spaceis a good vehicle for meditations on life, loss, and faith. A spare and memorable work reminiscent of Rylant's God Went to Beauty School (rev. 7/03). dean schneider

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2013
What if you offered up a prayer, and Jesus answered it in person? That's what happens to fourteen-year-old Walker in Coaltown, Illinois: Lookif you're up there, help / my mom, okay? My brother's been dead / two whole months, and she's still crying. Jesus arrives: You prayedI showed up. / I would have been here sooner, / but traffic on I-55 was awful. It turns out that Jesus is a pretty ordinary Joe, with an irreverent sense of humor. He tries Wheaties for breakfast and exclaims, This is good!...We should / have had this at the last supper. But all is not yuks and good-ol'-guy stuff here. Jesus is on the scene to help the grieving Walker and his nursing-home manager mom. If the humor is broad, the life lessons are subtle, and life's big questions are wisely left as questions: Why now?' Walker asked. I prayed / to God like a thousand times. And what / happened? Noah died. Didn't God look / downstairs? It's a nursing home. Half / my mom's clients are ready to check / out. But he picks a kid.' Jesus replies that the philosophers and brainiacs are still working on that one. Koertge's verse novelin third person with short lines, plain language, and abundant white spaceis a good vehicle for meditations on life, loss, and faith. A spare and memorable work reminiscent of Rylant's God Went to Beauty School (rev. 7/03). dean schneider

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
Fourteen-year-old Walker offers up a prayer ("my brother's been dead / two whole months, and [Mom's] still crying"), and Jesus answers it in person. Turns out He's a pretty ordinary Joe, with an irreverent sense of humor. Koertge's verse novel--in third person with short lines, plain language, and abundant white space--is a good vehicle for meditations on life, loss, and faith.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)