Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja (0-374-30998-1)
Buddha Boy, whose real name is Jinsen, is a misfit in his new school. He doesn’t wear a coat even in winter and keeps his head shaved. He has no friends until Justin discovers Jinsen’s artistic talent and a friendship slowly emerges. Justin must decide whether to start standing up for Jinsen as he is tormented by the other kids.
This short YA novel is written in a rather jarring style that doesn’t use traditional punctuation or paragraph form. Luckily, it enhances rather than detracts from one of the main themes of the book: being different is not only OK but has power. And so does this unique writing style.