church. They originally disapprove of her joining, but later agree that Chutengodians should not discriminate based on gender. Magda's relationship with Henry Stagg evolves throughout the book. Magda allegedly helps Henry create his commandments for the "Choots", an offshoot of Chutengodianism. Henry Stagg is the last to join the Chutengodians. Not caring what happens to him or others, Henry is somewhat of a bully to Jason and Shin. He will not hurt innocent victims, but will pick on any able bodied person. He has a collection of Velociraptors in his garage, which he cherishes. He breaks from the Church of the Ten-Legged One, forming the "Choots" with his friends, Mitch Cosmo, Marsh Andrews, and Bobby. Minor Mr. Bock is Jason's devout Catholic father. Bothered by Jason's disbelief in God, he forces him to attend Teen Power Outreach. For most of the story, he disapproves of Jason's new religion, only to accept it at the end of the novel. After the Chutengodians' ill-fated meeting on top of the water tower, Mr. Bock instructs Jason to write book reports on five Catholic books. Mrs. Bock is Jason's mother. Obsessed with a medical book (which Jason says she reads like the Bible), she loves to diagnose her son with extremely rare conditions. Throughout the story, she worries that Jason has some sort of sleep condition, although he insists that he just likes to sleep. Father Haynes is the priest at the local Catholic church. Jason finds his sermons and church services boring. Just Al is the leader of the TPO meetings. Jason refers to him as a "car salesman" with the ability to change the subject to whatever he wants. Jason often finds ways of annoying Al or disrupting the meetings in some way. Al usually responds by changing the subject or giving a small speech about faith and God. He is known for his unique prayers, which typically state something about Jesus being "one cool dude". The Three Goons, Mitch Cosmo, Marsh Andrews, and Bobby, are Henry Stagg's juvenile delinquents who follow him around and do whatever he tells them to do. Themes The teenagers represent the colonization of childhood by adults. Jason and Shin are contrasts in how religion is approached by teens; Jason questions the authority of religion, while Shin accepts it. References External links Pete Hautman's website 2004 American novels American young adult novels National Book Award for Young