<b>When a teenage boy's widowed mom gets a job as a stripper, it makes for some tricky social maneuvering in this coming-of-age story from the wonderfully witty Ron Koertge.</b><br><br> &quot;Anyway,&quot; Sully said, &quot;I've got just what you need to take your mind off your troubles.&quot;<br> &quot;Thirty pounds of chocolate decadence?&quot;<br> &quot;A girl.&quot;<br> &quot;I don't need a girl.&quot;<br> &quot;You do. Now more than ever.&quot;<br> &quot;And what would I tell her my mother did for a living?&quot;<br> &quot;Lie.&quot;<br><br>Life has not been easy lately for sixteen-year-old Walker. His father has died, his girlfriend has moved away, and the family finances are in a shambles. Finally it seems as if things are looking up: Walker has a date with Rachel, the beautiful new girl in his class, and his mother has announced she's gotten a job. Only not your average, run-of-the-mill mom's job. Walker's mother is going to work as a stripper. What if his friends find out? What if Rachel finds out? Coincidentally, Walker's dad has left him a piece of land on which Rachel's father is scheming to build a mall, and after seeing the land, Walker goes about the hard work of farming it - and the hard work of being in love for the first time. Propelled by Ron Koertge's rapid-fire repartee, this is the funny and touching tale of a winningly honest protagonist discovering the perils and rewards of family, friendship, and romance.