Godless is a funny, tense, suspenseful book about a bored, nerdy teenager who, on the spur of the moment, to irritate his church youth group leader, invents a new religion that worships the town water tower, because "Water is life." A motley collection of other kids join in worshipping the "Ten-legged One," mostly as a lark, but Jason Bock's best friend, Shin, starts to take the religion and his role as the First Keeper of the Sacred Text too seriously. As he writes the Chutengodian bible he begins to channel the Ten-legged One, speaking in a deep, authoritative voice that is definitely not his normal self. The group begins to have ceremonies which involve midnight excursions climbing to the top of the tower. Of course, events spiral out of control, and the consequences are more serious than any of them could have predicted. This book was the Winner of the 2004 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Review by Stacy Church
