Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Narrated by a high school sophomore, this novel explores the tenets of Buddhism via an unlikely friendship between two classmates. In a starred review, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW called it "a compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people." Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Nov.)

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Koja (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Straydog) accomplishes quite a feat with this novel narrated by high school sophomore Justin: she explores the tenets of Buddhism via an unlikely friendship between two classmates. Justin does not understand the odd behavior of transfer student Michael Martin, why he has a shaved head and begs for his lunch ("Like a monk, you know?" says Michael). But after a teacher pairs Justin with Michael—who goes by "Jinsen," his spiritual name—for a project, he begins to gain some insight into Jinsen's actions. The author cleverly structures the novel as a flashback, even as events unfold chronologically, so that readers can benefit from Justin's newfound knowledge of Jinsen's spiritual practice. For instance, the second chapter begins with a brief explanation of "karma" ("Karma means that what you do today, and why you do it, makes you who you are forever: as if you were clay, and every thought and action left a mark in that clay... but there are no excuses,... no I-didn't-really-mean-it-so-can-I-have-some-more-clay"), allowing Justin to circle back to this idea throughout the narrative. Koja convincingly paints Justin as "somewhere in the middle" of the high school social strata, so that when he takes a risk for Jinsen, who is taunted (called "Buddha Boy") and physically threatened by his classmates, readers see how far Justin has progressed in his own self-realization. A compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

Horn Book

The new student at Rucher High begs for spare change in the cafeteria and asks to be called by his "spiritual name," Jinsen. Most of the kids call him Buddha Boy. When narrator Justin is assigned to work on a school project with his new classmate, he discovers that Jinsen is a gifted artist. Subtle characterizations and a stream-of-consciousness prose style give the novel an original, offbeat voice.

Kirkus Reviews

Koja ( Straydog , 2002) gives the tried and true "oddball new student vs. the bullies" theme a well-oiled workout. Comfortably invisible within the crowd, Justin at first wants nothing to do with new transfer Michael, or "Jinsen," to use his "spiritual name." After all, his shaved head, oversized shirt, and habit of wandering about the lunchroom with a begging bowl quickly earn him the nickname "Buddha boy" from alpha male McManus and his circle of goons. As he watches Jinsen respond calmly to escalating harassment, though, Justin's reserve begins to break down—particularly after he discovers that Jinsen is a superb artist, and learns that he had once been an incorrigible sociopath who had turned his life around with a conversion to Buddhism after being orphaned. Fortunately for the tale's credibility, Jinsen's self-possession isn't superhuman, and after two prized art projects are vandalized, only Justin's well-timed intervention gives him the moment he needs to regain his hard-won balance. Justin also does the friend thing by blowing the whistle on McManus, and unlike so many similar situations in teen fiction, justice is thoroughly, satisfyingly served. Koja barely touches on Buddhist practices and principles, but she does show how loving one's enemies rather that hating them often makes them crazy, as well as securing the moral high ground. Jerry Spinelli she is not (or not yet), but fans of Crash (1996), Loser (2002), and the like will enjoy the familiar scenery. (Fiction. 12+)

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Justin-an "average" kid-serves as the interface between readers (and to some extent his schoolmates) and Michael Martin, aka Buddha Boy, whose Buddhist teacher named him Jinsen, "fountain of God." Justin mostly wants to pass through high school unnoticed (beneath the notice of the school's "royalty"), doing his work and enjoying his friends. He is fortunate to have supportive, albeit divorced, parents-another facet of the novel that sets it apart in a field full of useless adults. But Justin is stirred out of his camouflage by the animosity that the new kid incites, quite unintentionally, simply by being different. Both irritated and intrigued by Jinsen's apparent imperturbability to his tormentors, Justin is also astonished by Jinsen's artistic abilities. Koja flawlessly walks a tightrope in her presentation of Jinsen-devout without being sanctimonious, insufferable, or simply unbelievable-and solidly nails the small-minded, fearful, and even paranoid mind-set that dominates the high school milieu. Like Chris Crutcher and Chris Lynch, the author is deeply concerned with the psychological motivations for behavior and the belief that explicable causes generally underlie what may seem to be inexplicable actions. At the heart of her story is a deeply religious character who is neither naive nor clownish, neither self-righteous nor pitiful. Buddha Boy has a whole lot of action compressed into a short time span, but Koja admirably refuses to yield to melodramatic writing or black-and-white solutions. Quickly paced, inviting, and eye-opening, this is a marvelous addition to YA literature.-Coop Renner, Blackshear Elementary School, Austin, TX Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

ALA Booklist

No one in the rich, suburban high school likes the weird new kid who looks like a Buddhist monk and begs at lunch. But Justin is drawn to the stranger and defends him against vicious school bullies. Koja's short novel is openly preachy, and the packed plot is absurdly contrived: the saintly outsider turns out to be an amazingly gifted artist who was once a delinquent as violent as the school bullies--until his parents died and he went catatonic and a Buddhist art teacher showed him how to find truth and beauty in art and religion . . . It's the simple writing, along with Justin's informal first-person narrative, that will draw readers to the crucial ethical issues, especially the social-status in-out thing among the kids, and the way school authorities accept it. Then there's the elemental question of how hard it is to do the right thing, and to keep on doing it. We're all gods inside, right? Karma, right? Teens will find much to talk about here.