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The Gospel According to Larry
The Gospel According to Larry
Author: Janet Tashjian
Josh Swensen is not your average 17-year-old. At the age of two, he was figuring out algebraic equations with colored magnetic numbers. He is a prodigy who only wants to make the world a better place. Josh's wish comes true when his virtual alter ego, Larry, becomes a huge media sensation. Larry has his own Web site where he posts sermons on...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780440237921
ISBN-10: 0440237920
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 256
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 23

3.5 stars, based on 23 ratings
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

GeniusJen avatar reviewed The Gospel According to Larry on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

Josh is a bored seventeen-year-old genius. That is just a recipe for disaster!

Just for something to do, he creates a website where he posts all of his rants about our celebrity-obsessed culture, anti-communism, and any other random thing that he thinks of. Josh names his site "The Gospel According To Larry" because that is the most unreligious name he could possibly think of. He's getting two or three hits a day, until some kids from his school find the page and he's soon getting a few hundred visitors a day to his website.

Then Bono, the lead singer of U2, finds Josh's site. And he mentions the site on national television.

Josh instantly begins getting millions of hits a day and everyone wants to know who Larry is.

Then betagold, a fan of Larry's, begins leaving comments on Josh's site about how he should just come out and tell everyone who Larry really is.

As things begin to spin out of control, Josh goes crazy! What will he do to save himself? Will he ever reveal that he's "Larry"?

This is a really funny book, because I can totally imagine something like this actually happening! Sometimes the middle is a little slow, but overall the book is a really great read!
tannermreed avatar reviewed The Gospel According to Larry on
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of my favorite books, a dramatization what some teens have going through their mind about the United States, how they can change it, and what could happen.

Josh Swensen will forever be one of my heroes. 175 items, website discussing his views, having a concert festival dedicated to him. I would probably do anything to trade places with this boy.

The book has so many twist, Josh's personality is so thick with wit, and so are the other protagonists. After the first few pages, I stayed inside that summer to finish it. Just couldn't put it down.

The next two installments in the Larry series are just as good. I suggest you read all of them!
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ToniG avatar reviewed The Gospel According to Larry on + 163 more book reviews
Larry is the alter ego of Josh a 17yr genious .Together they work on making the world a better place! Nice story
reviewed The Gospel According to Larry on + 12 more book reviews
Lovely story.
sarahinme avatar reviewed The Gospel According to Larry on + 58 more book reviews
After a friend of mine in high school read 'Larry', it spread like wildfire through our group of friends and acquaintances. Although I have not read it in years, the basic ideals that Larry lays out in his online philosophy are still seeds in the philosophy that I myself have. Whenever I buy an item that replaces another similar item, I ask myself to remember Larry's 175 item rule, and this usually leads me to a trip to Goodwill to drop off a carfull of stuff. Afterall, who wants to be participating in the society of gluttony and greed? Not I.

Read Larry when you are a teenager or an adult, you will not be disappointed.


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