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Vintage: A Ghost Story | 
 enlarge | Author: Steve Berman
Publisher: Lethe Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $14.40
You Save: $3.60 (20%)
New (9) Used (1) from $14.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 302253
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1590211308
EAN: 9781590211304
ASIN: 1590211308
Publication Date: March 15, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
In a small New Jersey town a lonely boy walking along a highway one autumn evening meets the boy of his dreams, a boy who happens to have died decades ago and haunts the road. Awkward crushes, both bitter and sweet, lead him to face youthful dreams and childish fears. With a cast of offbeat friends, antiques, and Ouija boards, Vintage offers readers a memorable blend of dark humor, chills and love. A finalist for the Andre Norton Award for best speculative fiction young adult novel.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
Read it, now! April 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed Vintage. Many of the other reviews talk about the paranormal aspects of the novel, but it was the mundane that really made an impression on me. Berman manages to capture how vital friendship is when you're a teenager, how important it is to have someone on your side, especially when you find yourself embroiled in an unhealthy relationship.
Trace reminds me of the friends I had when I was a teenager. They weren't in the cool clique, but they were cool just the same. It made it easy to slip into the main character's shoes. Even though the main character is a young gay man, his problems and strengths were universal. I recommend it.
Unique Coming Out Story February 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Vintage by Steve Berman is perhaps the most unusual gay teen coming out story I have ever read. A sometimes frightening, atmospheric ghost story that captivates the reader from page one, it is also very well-written with interesting and likable main characters. One of my 10 favourite reads of 2007.
A Truly Chilling Tale January 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Vintage is more than simply a ghost story, but I'll start my review there anyway, because I appreciate books that can truly take me away from my everyday world. The story follows a young man who has been estranged from his family who finds himself face-to-face with an ability he had only jokingly considered in the past. These newfound abilities lead him to progressively darker corners, and it is at these moments that I am completely sucked into the story and thrust into the chillingly real world of the main character. I found myself pulling the covers around myself tighter as I read, and several times fearful to read on.
But beyond the ghost story lies so much more. This is a tale about trying to find one's place in a world that is not always understanding of you; a tale about trying to find your match, not just in love, but in friendship; a tale about understanding and acceptance: of yourself and those around you.
Vintage is not just a ghost story. It's not just a love story. It's not just a coming of age story. It's all three, and Steve Berman does an excellent job of towing the line between all three.
Will appeal to all ages October 27, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
On the front of my copy of "Vintage" is a quote from a review, "More than a ghost story." Those few words perfectly describe what this book is about. It's a ghost story, a mystery, a coming-of-age story, a love story; but for me as a parent, it's a powerful story about being different. I was raised by a grandmother who taught me it was perfectly *normal* to "march to the beat of a different drummer," because that was what made us unique. I raised my son according and watched him struggle through school, alienated and harassed; because he didn't fit someone's definition of "normal."
"Vintage" is the story of a young man shunned and feared by his family because of his unique individuality and sexual orientation. He has found acceptance and a home with his aunt, but still feels the need to hide who he is, fearing the same rejection from his aunt that he received from his parents. His best friend Trace, is your normal (there's that word again!) type of best friend; sharing his secrets, his dreams and his fears. Trace is a person more comfortable with herself, happy and open; but her family is overshadowed by the disappearance of her older brother. My favorite character is Trace's younger brother, Second Mike (named after his missing, assumed dead, older brother). Second Mike is a sweet and gentle young man; different in his own way. Josh, the ghost who is possessively attracted to the narrator, is an interesting character whose story twists and turns throughout the book.
Berman has written a story that will appeal to all ages, a story with a message for all ages and a story that will send chills down your spine. If you don't want to read a story with a "message" (just give me the ghosts), that's cool; because as a ghost story the book delivers! The story kept me up late, anxiously turning the pages, looking over my shoulder at my bedroom shadows until the very last page.
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too August 31, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What would be more difficult to tell your friends and family: that you are gay or that you can see ghosts?
Late one night, a teenage boy encounters a ghost while walking along a dark stretch of road. The ghost is that of a handsome high school athlete who was killed on that same road in 1957. Now the main character finds himself drawn into an obsessive relationship with the ghost. One that seems to get more dangerous with every encounter.
In addition to his troubled love life, the narrator is in the midst of a family and emotional crisis. While learning to accept his sexual orientation, without exactly "coming out," he has found himself rejected by his own parents. He now lives with his Aunt Jan, who is loving and generous, but will she accept him if she knows he is gay?
With the help of his best friend, Trace, he sets out to help the spirits find peace while trying to find a bit of peace for himself.
Steve Berman has created a clever mix of urban myth, Goth, and ghost story while also tackling the confusing issues as a teen deals with his sexual orientation. VINTAGE is a clever and haunting story with some delightfully creepy scenes.
Reviewed by: JodiG.
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