Author Description

Danny Zelko, 13 going on 14, needs to get rid of his mom's boyfriend, Harry. The guy is a creep. Drinks too much, locks Danny out of the house, gets in Danny's face and calls him Danielle. Of course everyone blames Danny. It's his fault he gets into fights at school. It's his fault he can't control his anger. It's his fault Harry is such a jerk. Danny isn't such a bad kid--he has his own lawn business, makes his own dinner, even takes out the garbage and closes up the house without being asked. All he wants is for his mom to be like she used to be--a real mother who acted like one. Because Harry makes her stupid. When she gets around him, she forgets about her kids. Disappears with him, doesn't stick up for her own son. And the prospect of spending another day with this man makes Danny feel helpless and broken. So when Danny's sister, Lisa, reveals that Harry and their mom are getting married, Danny, never the one to cower, decides to do something. That's right, one way or another, he will get rid of Harry. Set in 1983, New Jersey, Seven Ways to Get Rid of Harry is packed with Danny's friends and enemies, a few fist fights, heartbreak and fury, and a little humor too. Praise for SEVEN WAYS TO GET RID OF HARRY: "Seven Ways to Get Rid of Harry is a poignant nostalgia trip to being thirteen in the 1980s that also has a sharp bite. It tugs at your heart-strings while making you laugh out loud. Never has the attempt to get rid of your mom's evil boyfriend been so charmingly portrayed. A must read " --Lee Matthew Goldberg, author of The Mentor and the Desire Card series "Jen Conley brought me back to my childhood with this gripping debut. Danny Zelko battles with his mother's abusive boyfriend amidst the helplessness, confusion, and tumultuous friendships of his formative thirteenth summer. Sometimes harrowing, often funny, this is a great and necessary read for anyone who wants to understand what it's like for boy