Pete Hautman's Own Book Review of Godless

Pete posted this on his web site. Here's what he has to say about his report: "Feel free to copy and paste these book reports! They might get you a "C" or better in an eighth grade English class, assuming that: a) You find and delete (or correct) the three untrue sentences I have hidden in each book report, b) your teacher has not seen this web page, and c) your teacher has extremely low standards." If you find the mistakes, email us and let us know.

Book Report: Godless
Godless is the book that I read for this report. It is about some weird kids who decide to be water tower worshippers, so they start a religion called Chutengodianism. The book was written by Pete Hautman, who writes a lot of books and once ate 22 hot dogs in 15 minutes.The first thing that happens in Godless is that Jason gets clocked by a guy named Henry, who is smaller than him. Jason gets the idea then to start a religion, Pretty soon his friend Shin is into the religion too. Shin is even weirder than Jason and Henry. The best part is where they all climb up to the top of the water tower at night and go swimming and almost drown, and Henry falls off, and they all get caught.There is a lot of stuff about being Catholic in this book, which Jason is but doesn't like. They are always arguing about God and stuff, which might make some people uncomfortable, especially the part about cannibalism. There is also a bunch of stuff about snails and comic books. I thought it was a pretty good book considering that it is mostly about things that I am not interested in, and it had no sword fights or interesting creatures or cyborgs like on Terminator which is really cool. The only really amazing part in it was when the water tower speaks to Jason in his sleep and tells him to slay his parents. The book is not what you think it will be, because in the end the main kid, Jason, doesn't figure anything out, really. Instead he just gets more confused that ever, but at least his dad is less of a jerk than he was at first.300 words (including these).

Unusual religions

Ok, you think Chutengodianism is a weird religion, there's a temple in India devoted to rats.

What are some other strange religions you've heard of?

Should kids read books like Godless?

I think that this book was fine for people of all religions because the religion in the book was more of a joke that got carried out too far. This book doesn’t say anything disrespectful about any religion and doesn’t make fun of religions, or religious people. Liz

Ordinary Friends

I think it's important to have different types of friends. Sometimes, having a friend that's really different from you can let you discover new things about yourself that you might not otherwise have found out. Friends can help you find new activities and likes/dislikes, but sometimes if you go too far outside your comfort zone, you can get lost. So, it's also nice to have friends that you share a lot in common with, to help you stay grounded and feel comfortable. I'm not sure if I'd call any of my friends "ordinary", though. Maybe Dan is just a bit shy, so no one ever really gets a chance to get to know him, so that's why Jason refers to him as "ordinary". I do have some friends like that. They might seem ordinary to other people, but not to me! Ellen

Ordinary Friends

Early in the book, Jason says, "Dan Grant is my ordinary friend. Everybody should have at least one ordinary friend, and Dan is as ordinary as they come. He is so ordinary that most people have to meet him six or seven times before they remember his name." Do you find that you have different kinds of friends? Is one or more of them what you would call "ordinary?"

Should kids read books like Godless?

Some parents are not comfortable with their kids reading books that challenge or question their beliefs. What do you think? Is it harmful for kids to read books or watch movies that tell stories of people who are questioning or going against their parents?

Stacy's review of this month's book: Godless by Pete Hautman

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