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by S. A. Fanning (Author)
It's 1996 and nineteen-year-old Max Miller needs a place to crash, a new car, and a miracle to win back his college girlfriend. So when he lands a spot in the King of the Mall contest, where four lucky entrants will live in "castles" built out of six packs of Pepsi products, he can't help but think his luck is turning around.
The first to sell off their six-packs wins $5,000 and a brand new Ford truck. Not bad for a guy who owes more in Blockbuster late fees than he has in his checking account. But Max quickly falls behind. The other contestants have an angle. There's Sarge, the precision military veteran with the entire armed forces at his disposal, and Julie, the pretty twenty-something who has her own way of attracting a crowd. Even Percy, the old geezer, seems to be outselling Max simply by sitting on a rocker and waving to shoppers. The only thing Max can do is convince a sponsor to lend him a camcorder.
Armed with a camera and plenty of spare time, Max sets his boredom to use. He records several short skits and promos and passes them along to Radio Shack. A few more get to the radio station, and Max goes from slacker townie to local celebrity overnight. His ex comes calling. A legion of loyal middle school boys turn out in droves to see their new favorite bad boy. Somehow, Max is all but a lock to be King of the Mall. But if there's one thing he knows how to do well, it's messing up a good thing.
