"Vote for Larry" by Janet Tashjian is focused toward what I believe is a fulfilling a goal. Based on the first book " The Gospel of Larry", it follows the same reading lines and flows very nicely. When Josh (Larry) is mysteriously brought out of hiding, he embarks upon a new journey. He decides to run for the President of the United States. Of course he is well aware of the fact that he can not win. Josh is overcome with many unforgettable obstacles along the way and can't help but involve his old childhood pal and long time love interest Beth. From Josh's dramatic love life to his unbelievable Presidential campaign this book refuses to allow you to put it down without reading through the cliffhanger.
I enjoyed these characters because they were so powerful. Josh is a guy that can seem to do anything he puts his mind to. He comes across as wise beyond his years, but yet he still appears to get himself in above his head. His beliefs are so large and "in your face" that sometimes I don't know how he is only eighteen years old. His best friend Beth is once again of the main attractions in his new adventure. Her character is still strong and independent; she relies on her own brain and willpower to get through trials. Her relationship with Jos is still up in the air, but their changes may throw the reader for a loop. I think that this helped to keep the story fresh and exciting. When Josh returns from hiding he is able to muster up enough courage to drop in on his step dad Peter. Expecting to find his distant, workaholic, misunderstood stepfather; Josh was overwhelemed with happiness when he actually looked into the eyes of a completely changed man. In this sequal Peter and Josh develop a new and amazing relationship that I don't think was expected. This adds to the plot and brings a new outlook to the characters in the book. Janine is a brand new face to this crazy world of Larry lovers. She is Josh's new girlfriend, whom he met while he was in hiding. She tends to show resemblance to Josh's mother, which Josh thinks may attract him to her more. Janine seems to take some hard hits in this story and how she responds to them, I think, greatly helps to tie the story together in the end. Last of all is Betagold, yes she is back! Of course she makes her encore performance in this story. If one has read "The Gospel of Larry" you may have thought she would settle with her previous victory, but that is an understatement. She is definitely famous in this adventure and she has out done herself this time.
"Vote for Larry" takes place in Colorado and travels all the way back to Larry's hometown of Boston. The time is set during election time of 2004. I believe this story can give many of the different reading buffs what they want. It provides a bit of adventure, a splash of romance, but most importantly i think it gives mystery.
In this book the problem is that Josh wants to run for President. At first he is strongly aware that he can not win, legally his age will not allow it to happen. So, he decides he and Beth will run an honest campaign. But, unfortunately because of people and their jealous egos, he is set up for disaster. Suspicous and destructable things begin happening. And unexpextedly his motive for this campaign may seem to hurt him in the end.
I enjoyed this book because it was fun and easy to read. The way Janet wrote this book made it very simple yet full of excitement. She provided the reader with a great amount of detail, which allowed the reader to put themselves inside the story. She added little quirks to the story; I think this helped move the story along a bit. Janet made several pages full of slogansn or real facts that contributed to the story. Some were: "The number of people in U.S. prisons and jails tripled between 1980 and 1996", "One in 3 U.S. children is poor at some point during childhood", "9,000 U.S. native plants and animals are at risk of extinction". These are all things that relate to Larry's campaign. I believed this book had an educational and reality based point to it. I think this book was written strongly and it could motivate kids and young adults to try to help with a cause that they believe in. Overall I strongly recommend this book to anyone. I couldn't put it down and I hope to hear of a follow-up story.