Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner

Pages: 291

Publisher: Random House

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: May 26, 2009

It’s High School Musical—rated R! 

When the girl who’s foresworn men meets the boy who’s devoted himself to picking up women, there’s bound to be drama—perfect for a sixweek summer program devoted to the arts. Olivia’s summer goal: to write a musical that censures men with wandering eyes. Max’s summer goal: to hone his acting skills, along with his talent for attracting the ladies. Before camp is over, they’ll perform Olivia’s musical onstage and in real life—though the ending may turn out differently than either expects.

Jake Wizner’s story within a story takes the battle of the sexes to a whole new level in a bawdy, uproarious romp that’s laugh-out-loud fun.

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

Castration Celebration was one of those books that are absolutely addicting, and you can't put down. I had really high expectations for how funny this book would be because of the things I'd heard about it, and it completely surpassed them. I was literally laughing-out-loud while reading this book; I don't think I've ever read anything nearly this entertaining.

It was fast-paced, and a really quick read. The end of chapters left me wanting to read the next chapter because I just couldn't put it down, and I really wanted to find out what would happen next. This is definitely one of those books you want to read when you have some time to actually sit down and read it, because once you start it, you won't want to stop.

Characters:

The characters definitely made this book! They were really well-developed and the little things they did always had me cracking up. I love how they spontaneously busted out into a song (speaking of songs, the songs in this book were probably the funniest part).

I liked the way the friends interacted with each other because it was very realistic --- it didn't feel like an adult trying to sound like a teenager, but like my friends and I talking back and forth and joking with each other.

Writing:

Like I mentioned before, this book was extremely addicting, and I couldn't put it down. Jake Wizner created a fantastic plotline and setting that really draws readers in.

Ending:

The ending was more serious than all of the book combined, but it didn't feel out of place. It was a nice way to finish off the book.

Cover:

I really like the cover, and how it makes fun of HSM (I have nothing against High School Musical). I also like how the cover really suits the book --- I couldn't imagine another cover for Castration Celebration.

Lovely Line:

"There are gay monkeys? That's so cool."

"Of course there are gay monkeys. There are gay monkeys, gay gorillas, gay giraffes, gay penguins, gay aardvarks. You think only people can be gay?"

"Wow! I never thought about that before. Do you think there are gay dinosaurs?"

"Have you seen Barney?"

(Page 159)

The Final Verdict:

This book definitely doesn't get as much praise as it deserves. It is absolutely hilarious, and a must-read for anyone looking for a book to make them crack up.

FTC: Bought.