Lump: A Kid's Tale

by Robert T. Jeschonek

ReviewRobert T. Jeschonek "sees the world like no one else sees it, and makes incredibly witty, incisive stories out of that skewed worldview." – Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Starship series"Robert T. Jeschonek is clearly a writer with a lot of big ideas and talent." –Thom Dunn, The Daily GenoshanProduct DescriptionA twisted modern fable from award-winner Robert T. Jeschonek, author of the upcoming young readers' novel My Favorite Band Does Not Exist. Meet a kid so bad, he gets a lump of coal every year...and likes it! Neighborhood bully Buzz Scanlan takes pride in his annual lump, which he sees as a black badge of badness. But this year, when the coal doesn't come, the ten-year-old holy terror becomes a bad boy on a mission. He roams from one victim of his wicked mischief to the next, digging for dirt on the one nice thing he must have done to deserve no coal. When everyone agrees he's been nothing but naughty, he nearly gives up the hunt...until he stumbles onto the shocking truth behind his lumps of coal, an incredible secret that just might change his life forever. Will Buzz get his lump after all, sealing his fate as the ultimate bully? Or will solving the mystery lead to a fate worse than death for the naughtiest boy, an unexpected good deed that breaks his not-nice record?Don't miss this fun and funny tale with a twist from award-winning author Robert T. Jeschonek. Expect the unexpected in this fresh new holiday classic for all ages.ContentsNovelette, appropriate for young readersAbout the AuthorRobert T. Jeschonek is an award-winning writer whose fiction, comics, essays, articles, and podcasts have been published around the world. DC Comics, Simon & Schuster, and DAW have published his work. His work appeared in three volumes of Star Strange New Worlds, winning the grand prize in Volume VI. His story, "Fear of Rain," was nominated for the British Fantasy Award. His young adult urban fantasy novel, My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, is due July 11, 2011 from Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2010

About the author

Robert T. Jeschonek is an award-winning writer whose fiction, comics, essays, articles, and podcasts have been published around the world. His young adult fantasy novel, My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, won the Forward National Literature Award and was named one of Booklist’s Top Ten First Novels for Youth. His cross-genre science fiction thriller, Day 9, is an International Book Award winner. He also won the Scribe Award for Best Original Novel from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers for his alternate history, Tannhäuser: Rising Sun, Falling Shadows. Simon & Schuster, DAW/Penguin Books, and DC Comics have published his work. He won the grand prize in Pocket Books' nationwide Strange New Worlds contest and was nominated for the British Fantasy Award. Visit him online at www.thefictioneer.com. You can also find him on Facebook and follow him as @TheFictioneer on Twitter. Sign up for the Robert T. Jeschonek newsletter right here: http://eepurl.com/tpKhr

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. It's like.something I would write .

[Anne Hawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a short story than a book. Buzz is the terror of school and the neighborhood. He is the Alpha bully. He's so bad that every Christmas Eve, he gets a lump of coal. In an odd way, getting the lump of coal is like a prize. Buzz relishes the proof that he is the worst of the worst. Imagine what happens when the faithful lump is not there. Buzz is horrified! Did he accidentally do something kind? He sets out to find this accidental lapse and finds more than he bargained for.