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From the deadly Kool Aid of Jim Jones to the “borrowed” precepts of The Secret, cult fads have chased humanity since the beginning of time. Some kill us (Don’t drink the Kool Aid.) while others just put us in a self-centered bubble where anything is possible with just a thought (Work? Why should I work when I wish? Why? Because Oprah said so!).

Thinking for yourself and finding new ways to be positive aren’t bad – until they get so out-of-hand that they parallel The Third Reich. Author Stefan Petrucha takes on these cult fads in The Rule of Won, a hilarious 225-page YA novel with a serious message about going with the flow even when the logic eludes you.

Ultimate slacker Caleb Dunne floats through life. It doesn’t take much for him to pass his classes without studying. He’d rather sit on the couch, surfing, instead of cracking a book. But Caleb’s slacking nets him the blame for an accident at the school construction site, gets him suspended and in deep doo with his girlfriend (or his ex), Vicky.

To get on her good side (and figure out if they are on or off), Caleb joins a new school club touting the message of a book, The Rule of Won. The book teaches that if you think it, it will come. It seems to work – at first – until the thoughts start causes illnesses and accidents. But with the school (students, teachers and all) hypnotized by The Rule’s text, Caleb finds he’s on his own to save his friends from the growing fanaticism.

What’s a slacker to do?

Petrucha’s wit and storytelling style shine in this book from Walker Books for Young Readers. He takes on the craziness and subtle changes of a cult in a humorous way that will resonate with young readers. The book also includes a reading group guide for classes. It would be a great way to increase reading time and explain the dangers of cults to youth while referencing today’s news.

My favorite portions of this book are messages posted by students on a message board specifically devoted to the wishes of cult, er, The Rule group members. It is so funny and so true. You have the ones who refuse to stop believing in it – even after it falls to pieces, students who wish for the same thing over and over again despite the superficial quality of the wish, those who go so far into the logic that they are willing to beat and maim anyone who disagrees.

The Rule of Won, due out in September. Petrucha, who penned Teen Inc. and is coauthor of the fantastically horrific Wicked Dead series, is also a writer on the new Nancy Drew adventures. Find out more about the author at http://www.petrucha.com/ and put The Rule on your Amazon wish list

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