The Porcupine of Truth
Publisher
Scholastic Inc.
Publication Year
2015
ISBN
9781338032451
Pages
336 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Carson Smith isn't thrilled to be spending the summer with her estranged dad in Billings, Montana. But then he meets Aisha Stinson, the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. And the smartest. And the funniest. They connect like he never has with anyone. Also she's a lesbian. So there's that. Carson's dad is still bitter about the disappearance of his dad more than thirty years earlier. When Carson and Aisha discover a box full of cards from his grandfather, some of them recent, they realize the old man is still out there somewhere. What are two bored teenagers in the middle of nowhere to do? So Carson and Aisha begin a journey with no destination, to find a man who wanted to be lost, in an unreliable Dodge Neon, with one very prickly mascot. And what comes next is an extraordinary, enlightening, hilarious, inspiring, complete and utter mindblower of a road trip that will transform both their lives.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
HL670L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Racial Diversity; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Disability and Health; Separation; Homelessness; Interracial; Gay/Lesbian; Addiction; separated parents; homeless teenager; interracial friendship; lesbian; lesbian teenager; alcoholism
Main Character
male teenager
Race/Ethnicities
Black (African American) / White
Family Formation
separated parents
LGBTQ+
lesbian female
Awards
Best Books for Teens, 2015
Booklist Top 10 LGBTQ for Youth, 2015
Choices, 2016
Rainbow List, 2016
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2016
Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Award, 2016, Winner, Young Adult
Keywords
teenagers; missing persons; voyages and travels; family problems; coming of age; friendship; summer vacation; zoo
Diversity Impact
indirect
STARS Citation
Konigsberg, Bill, "The Porcupine of Truth" (2015). Diverse Families. 796.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/796