The Gospel According to Larry

 
Book Menu for The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

ISBN of the edition I read: 0440237920 (paperback)

I had the pleasure of meeting Janet Tashjian and working with her.  She visited a library I worked at and kept 75 teens completely engrossed while discussing and answering questions about this book and its sequel Vote for Larry.

Food mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Ice cream, ix
Pizza, 10
Doritos, 12
Coke, 12
Cappuccinos, 25
Lasagna, 27, 32
Garlic bread, 32
Seltzer, 60
M&M's, 94
Enchiladas, 121
Salads, 121, 201
Poland Spring, 121
Ho Hos, 160
Mountain Dew, 167
Potato chips, 169
Ice-cream sandwiches, 201
Lemonade, 207
Fortune cookies, 207
Chinese takeout, 209

Books mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Henry David Thoreau,47, 57, 67, 111
   Walden, viii, 216, 221
   Civil Disobedience, 7, 102
Biblical passages, 5, 39, 109, 143, 179, 197
1984 / George Orwell, 13
Harry Potter / J.K. Rowling, 18
Ralph Waldo Emerson , 67
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer / Mark Twain, 177

Magazine mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
MAD Magazine , 207

Music mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Kurt Cobain, 12
Bach , 59
U2, 89, 111, 148
   The Joshua Tree, 91
   "Bad" (song), 122

Movies mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Groundhog Day, 9
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, 72
The Exorcist, 207

Television mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Monty Python , 10, 43
Survivor , 15
The Three Stooges, 43

Great vocabulary in The Gospel According to Larry :
unrequited, 19
unbridled, 11
cretin, 22
paltry, 23
zany, 32
juggernaut, 41
primordial, 56
apples with peanut butter, 61
innocuous, 70, 116
reverberating, 100
jettison, 123
discombobulated, 141
trajectory, 175
nebulous, 214

Libraries mentioned in The Gospel According to Larry :
Page 18: "Josh, get out there and get some fresh air, or so help me God, I'm bringing those math books back to the library!"  She'd boot me out the door kicking and screaming.

Pages: 44-45: If I got a new CD, I either traded for it or had to sell an old one. Same with books and videos (thank God for libraries).

Page 215: I spent several days in the library researching local writers, disc jockeys, anyone who might listen to my version of these events.

Miscellaneous in The Gospel According to Larry :
Bloomingdale's, 22, 26, 33, 79
Magic 8 Ball, 35
Ganesh statue, 60
Tarot cards, 75
Kurt Loder (journalist), 91
Woodstock, 112
Mean People Suck T-shirt, 226

Activities for The Gospel According to Larry :

• Make a bouillabaisse mobile like the one described on page 103.
• Have your own LarryFest!
• Assemble and offer as a raffle or door prize the following: a Bloomingsdale's bag full of Larry's favorite things (small Ganesh statue, Magic 8 Ball, tarot cards, U2 CDs, copies of Walden, Civil Disobedience, and some of the nonperishable food items listed above).

Discussion questions for The Gospel According to Larry :
What would you change about Larry's website?  Have you ever launched your own website or blog?  Was it successful?

Which of Larry's "sermons" is your favorite?

Josh's vision is to contribute. How does he succeed or fail in his vision?

Why does Josh only have one friend?

Which music groups would you invite to a festival like LarryFest?