Dirty Little Altar Boy
by Brandon D. Christopher
Published by iUniverse
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Reviewed By Michele E. Davis
When you hear the title, Dirty Little Altar Boy, what comes to mind is a tween or teenager that is a misfit and probably did some wild stuff when he was in middle school. What you get with Christopher's novel is a tired, worn-out plot about a 12-to13-year-old malcontent who really doesn't do anything wrong. He attends parochial school, is an altar boy and is friends with two other rag tag, unpopular boys.
His friends steal the host chalice and wine from the priest, but that's been done before. The reader can't get close to Christopher, we catch glimpses when his father gets angry, once, but we don't get a full and complete picture of this boy, or why he'd consider himself a "dirty little altar boy." The book is a scattered glimpse into the life of Christopher, his love of Chuck Norris, finding girls attractive and generally doing what most young adolescent boys do.
The most deeply written story in the book is when Valentine boxes are on each child's desk and Christopher is left out, not getting one Valentine. It shows the brutality of other children, the pickiness and fickleness of girls and Christopher's heartbreak.
Armchair Interviews says: A decent read for a malcontent teenage boy, but otherwise a pass for the rest of us.
Author's Web site: http://www.BrandonDChristopher.com