Very strange, mostly in a good way. This is a kind of genderqueer coming of age novel taking place in a poorly-defined dystopian society in which is seems like gender essentialism is a very important (possibly the most important?) factor. Kivali, who also goes by the nickname Lizard, has been sent to a camp at which teens learn about crops and farming, but which is basically an excuse for last-ditch efforts to get the attendees to conform to gender and other societal norms. Lizard makes friends, dodges counselors, and develops a crush, all while tuning in to what ze calls "lizard radio" -- essentially the book's name for some form of transcendental meditation. Or at least, being at one with oneself and with the universe. Lizard, however, is convinced that ze is a member of an alien race of lizards and that that's why ze is so different from everybody else. Also, some people apparently zap into thin air.

I enjoyed this book. The strange conventions of language, especially slang, brought me into the dystopian world even though setting the story in only a very limited segment of that world rendered the larger context opaque. Lizard's relationships with other campers were well-drawn and meaningful. Lizard's relationship with adults was a bit less effective for me though. Apart from the camp director, most of the adult appear only in flashbacks and memories, in such a way as we're told about rather than shown their feelings towards Lizard, and hir feelings towards them. Lizard is also an emotionally closed off person for most of the book, which makes some of the sudden strong displays feel at some times like character development, and at other times like inconsistency or a pacing problem. I also didn't care for the end, which was left open in a weird way that didn't make much sense.

I would recommend this to teen readers looking for genderqueer characters or for unusual dystopias, but more because it's such an unusual book, and not so much because it is an excellent one. I liked it, but I was hoping to get a little more out of it.

This one was just too weird for me. We get a lot of jargon without much in the way of explanation. No clear idea of the direction of the plot. Characters are charming but not enough to keep the reader engaged.