num_pages: 198
description: "Why mess around with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion?"  Fed up with his parents' boring old religion, agnostic-going-on-atheist Jason Bock invents a new god -- the town's water tower. He recruits an unlikely group of worshippers: his snail-farming best friend, Shin, cute-as-a-button (whatever that means) Magda Price, and the violent and unpredictable Henry Stagg. As their religion grows, it takes on a life of its own. While Jason struggles to keep the faith pure, Shin obsesses over writing their bible, and the explosive Henry schemes to make the new faith even more exciting -- and dangerous.  When the Chutengodians hold their first ceremony high atop the dome of the water tower, things quickly go from merely dangerous to terrifying and deadly. Jason soon realizes that inventing a religion is a lot easier than controlling it, but control it he must, before his creation destroys both his friends and himself.
language: English
title: Godless
titlecomplete: Godless
genres: Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Religion, Young Adult, Mental Illness, Teen, Banned Books, Fiction, Contemporary, Humor
ratings_count: 4635
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: National Book Award
category: Young People's Literature, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Lincoln Award, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Minnesota Book Award
category: Young Adult Fiction and Poetry
publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers