<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Carson Smith isn't thrilled to be spending the summer with his 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, and fall into friendship after she lets him know she's only into girls. 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. Carson and Aisha begin a journey 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.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>The Stonewall Book Award-winning novel from the author of <i>The Bridge</i>, <i>Openly Straight</i>, and <i>Honestly Ben</i><p></p>Words like 'brilliant' are so overused when praising novels--so I won't use that word. I'll just think it. -- Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of <i>Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</i>Undeniably human and unforgettably wise, this book is a gift for us all. -- Andrew Smith, author of <i>Grasshopper Jungle</i>Carson Smith is resigned to spending his summer in Billings, Montana, helping his mom take care of his father, a dying alcoholic he doesn't really know. Then he meets Aisha Stinson, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family, and discovers a secret regarding his grandfather, who disappeared without warning or explanation decades before. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to try and save Carson's dad, restore his fragmented family, and discover the Porcupine of Truth in all of their lives.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><b>Praise for The Porcupine of Truth: </b>Winner of the Stonewall Book AwardWinner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Children's/Young AdultA YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection* Konigsberg weaves together a masterful tale of uncovering the past, finding wisdom, and accepting others as well as oneself. -- <i>School Library Journal</i>, starred review* Konigsberg... crafts fascinating, multidimensional teen and adult characters. A friendship between a straight boy and a lesbian is relatively rare in YA fiction and is, accordingly, exceedingly welcome. -- <i>Booklist</i>, starred reviewEqual parts funny and profound. -- <i>Kirkus Reviews</i><b>Praise for Openly Straight: </b>Winner of the Sid Fleischman Award for HumorYALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults SelectionLambda Literary Award FinalistFunny, unexpected, peppered with terrific dialogue -- and best of all, achingly honest. -- Ned Vizzini, author of <i>It's Kind of a Funny Story</i> and <i>House of Secrets</i>For anybody who ever wished they could be someone else (and who hasn't?), <i>Openly Straight</i> provides a fun and intriguing, twisting-and-turning romp through sexuality, identity, friendship, and love. -- Alex Sanchez, author of <i>Rainbow Boys </i>and<i> Boyfriends with Girlfriends</i>Bill Konigsberg hands a great high concept to a <i>really </i>compelling narrator and presents us with a terrific read. <i>Openly Straight</i> is smart, funny, and unflinching. Read this book. -- Chris Crutcher, author of <i>Deadline</i>, <i>Whale Talk</i>, and <i>Period 8</i>Konigsberg's lovely novel invites us to walk with Rafe through his season of assumed identity and his costly emergence into honesty. It's beautiful. It's a story of salvation. -- <i>The New York Times Book Review</i>* Lambda Literary Award-winner Konigsberg has written an exceptionally intelligent, thought-provoking, coming-of-age novel about the labels people apply to us and that we, perversely, apply to ourselves... <i>Openly Straight </i>is altogether one of the best gay-themed novels of the last ten years. -- <i>Booklist</i>, starred review* Readers and discussion groups looking for new and deeper ways to think about what it means to live honestly in a world that sorts by labels will find this fresh and evocative. -- <i>The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books</i>, starred reviewFor a thought-provoking, creative, twenty-first-century take on the coming-out story, look no further. -- <i>The Horn Book Magazine</i>An original, thought-provoking, hilarious story about the importance of embracing your true identity, and the cost to yourself and others when you don't. -- Julie Ann Peters, author of <i>Luna </i>and<i> Keeping You a Secret</i><i>Openly Straight </i>sports a sharp plot with a twist, sympathetic (and totally hot) characters, and universal appeal. It's a must-read for openly everyone! -- Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake TrilogyPraise for <i>Honestly Ben</i>: To characterize <i>Honestly Ben</i> (even though labeling feels so wrong after reading this book), I would first call it hilarious. But also touching! And absolutely necessary. -- Jay Asher, #1 <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author of <i>Thirteen Reasons Why</i> and <i>What Light</i>* Konigsberg has again done a remarkable job developing characters and inviting readers to consider the meaning of friendship with all its rewards and challenges. Extremely well written, this novel of ideas is deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist. -- <i>Booklist</i>, starred review* Well-rounded characters take readers from serious, thoughtful discussions to typical teen pranks with ease . . . Equal parts serious and funny as it addresses homophobia, hazing rituals, and cheating while also delighting readers with a slice-of-life tale set at a private academy. -- <i>School Library Journal</i>, starred review* Konigsberg again realistically explores what happens when one's self butts up against . . . the world's expectations and assumptions . . . The result is a refreshingly honest exploration of modern relationships and an understanding that love can take many shapes and forms. -- <i>Publishers Weekly</i>, starred review<i>Honestly Ben</i> is funny, complex, joyful, heartbreaking, and exceedingly wise all at once. A teenager with any question about the right way to live couldn't ask for a better read. -- Geoff Herbach, author of <i>Anything You Want </i>and <i>Stupid Fast</i>It's hard to write a good sequel, keeping what people loved about the first book, but adding something fresh and new. Not surprisingly, Bill Konigsberg pulls it off wonderfully in <i>Honestly Ben</i>. -- Brent Hartinger, author of <i>Geography Club </i>and <i>Three Truths and a Lie</i><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>Bill Konigsberg is the author of six books for young adults, which have won awards including the Stonewall Book Award, the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, and the Lambda Literary Award. Bill lives with his husband, Chuck, and their two Labradoodles, Mabel and Buford. Please visit him online at billkonigsberg.com and @billkonigsberg.