NEANDERTHAL OPENS THE DOOR TO THE UNIVERSE, by Preston Norton

The story: Cliff and Aaron are on a mission from God--to make Happy Valley High School a less sucky place to be. Aaron just came out of a coma, and when he approaches Cliff (nicknamed Neanderthal because of his huge size), the other teen is suspicious because Aaron used to be the source of all bullying. But Aaron's evidently turned over a new leaf...or possibly gone crazy. Either way, Cliff knows that life at HVHS sucks, so he's in. He would never have dreamed how things would turn out.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence PG; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG-13; adult themes (suicide, parental abuse, bullying, drugs; no on-page sex, but plenty of sex talk and discussion of boners) PG-13; overall rating R.

Liz's comments: This is a funny, well-plotted and sneakily thought-provoking book that will appeal to the bullied and the invisible. I found the overabundance of four-letter words tiresome, but overall Cliff is a snarky, relatable character who discovers the forward progress that can be made when people work together to make things better. NOT for middle school.