Spontaneous

Several scenes involving teens exploding and the gory aftermath. References to sexual assaults and bullying. Some teens find the explosive situation "invigorating." Mention of a teen getting gunned down.

References to kissing, masturbation, and feeling "horny." Teen tells parents her boyfriend is staying the night and has sex with him. Teen discusses active but increasingly unsatisfying sex life. Some mentions of homosexuality and teen pregnancy.

Abundant curse words and crude language on nearly every page, from the teenage narrator to adults (including the U.S. president), including these (and many variations of them): "f--k" and its variations, "crap," "badass," "bitch," "hell," "goddamn," "s--t," "d--k," "fag," "dammit," "ass," "pissed," "t--ts," "prick."

Mara drinks heavily and uses drugs, particularly weed, and intentionally gets drunk or high to avoid unpleasant emotions. She's friends with teen drug dealers, who are supplied by a well-known adult in town. Students organize prom with alcohol and no chaperones. Some students remain sober and look out for friends who are abusing alcohol and drugs.

Parents need to know that Spontaneous is packed with swearing, gory scenes, drug use, and sexual activity. It's also smart, wry, and wickedly funny, a sure hit with teens who find absurdity in the everyday. Written by Aaron Starmer, it's for much older readers than his Riverman trilogy. The story literally starts with a bang -- when the first student explodes in class, drenching classmates and the walls with blood. As the body count grows, the teen narrator copes by taking increasing amounts of drugs, drinking heavily, and engaging in a lot of sexual activity with her boyfriend. Background stories include a teen bullied so extensively she moved, and another who left when she became pregnant with triplets. As the school and larger community break down, some students openly drink and use drugs in the classroom. Class members are shunned and feared, and one is shot and killed by neighbors.