Godless by Pete Hautman

Hautman, Pete. (2004). Godless. NY: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 978-0689862786
Awards/Honors: National Book Award (Young People's Literature, 2004)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2005)
Minnesota Book Awards (2005.01a|Young Adult Fiction and Poetry Winner, 2005)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Religion: Relationship with the Divine, 2007)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Religion, Faith, Bullies, Friends, Catholicism, Atheism
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: In one boy's rebellion against his parents Catholicism and quest for faith, a new religion is formed, a creation story written, a God chosen, and a congregation gathered. But then things begin to go wrong and people get hurt.
Summary: Jason Bock, a teen being raised in a Catholic family, is sick and tired of the church. In a streak of rebellion and religious questioning, he and some friends create their own religion. Their religion begins with the Ocean being God, the creator. From which came the town's water tower, a small effigy created to be the Eyes and the Ears of the Ocean. The teen's religion, Chutengodianism, continues to grow. Shin begins writing a bible, and ends up becoming the most devout and serious follower. The group comes up with ceremonies and commandments also. Finally, the families and friends of the group, and even the law, gets involved when things start to get out of hand and dangerous.
Evaluation: I absolutely loved the premise of this book and have been looking forward to reading it for a long time. I think it is a great look at organized religion, for good and bad, and the questions young people have on the subject.