Books by Chris Lynch

When the Vietnam War begins, Ivan quickly enlists and trains as a sniper, hoping to find the same honor his father did during World War II. He quickly discovers that the Vietnam War is like no other war before, and is forced to question what he is really fighting for.

Eighteen-year-old Robert tries to help his half-brother Xan, a seventeen misfit, to make better choices as he becomes increasingly attracted to a variety of protesters, anarchists, and the like.

Teens D.J. and Russell, life-long friends and neighbors, had drifted apart, but when their firefighter fathers are both killed, they try to help one another come to terms with the tragedy and its aftermath.

High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

A teenager trying to recover from the tragic death of his father and stepmother believes himself to be responsible for the rash of teen suicides occurring in his town.

"If you don't have a slot, what are we going to do with you?"

It's called Twenty-One Nights with the Knights. But for Elvin Bishop--fourteen, overweight, and a self-proclaimed nonathlete--this summer sports "retreat" is more like the twenty-one trials of hell.

As everyone around him, including his best friends, slips smoothly into athletic "slots," Elvin is pounded on the football field, slammed on the baseball diamond, and tortured on the wrestling mat--always coming out a complete failure. But appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes real strength comes from breaking the rules rather than playing the game. And sometimes finding acceptance is less about fitting in than about making your own way--with grit and humor.

All incoming freshmen at Flagship Academy's summer program are suppose to find an athletic 'slot' for themselves. But there is no slot for Elvin, a wise-cracking, overweight sports incompetent who bounces from one humiliating game to another. How he discovers his own place for himself—with grit and humor—makes for "a funny, poignant coming-of-age story...[A] wry, thoughtful book [that] speaks with wisdom and heart to the victim and outsider in us all."—BL.

Bulletin Blue Ribbons 1995 (C)
1996 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1996 Best Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
Books for Youth Editors' Choices 1995 (BL)
1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
Young Adult Choices for 1997 (IRA/CBC)