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Frankie and Zeke are lonely teenage misfits who become friends during a mid-1990s summer—and because this is a Kevin Wilson novel, you know things are going to get weird. The two make art to pass the time, creating a poster with Zeke’s drawing and a provocative phrase Frankie comes up with on the fly. On a whim, they hang up hundreds of copies of the poster around town and leave it unsigned. Soon, it spreads panic among the public with deadly consequences. The mysterious poster becomes a national news story—and Frankie and Zeke vow to never reveal that they made it. Until, that is, a journalist calls Frankie years later, claiming to know the truth. Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a quirky, complicated story about the power of words and art, and the importance of adolescent friendships. —Angela Haupt

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