Max Kilgore is in a hot mess. He is already stressed out about his sick mom, their unpaid bills, and his crappy after-school job, but then a minor act of shoplifting leads him to accidentally unleash one of the 666 Satans upon the world. Burgundy Cluttermuck, Satan-at-large, demands a domicile from Max, but their bargaining gets out of control when Max promises things he can't deliver in order to extract a heart transplant for his mother. Along the way, he connects with a girl who has a reputation for devil worshiping, and the two team up to rid the town of Burg once and for all. Max is definitely an unlikely hero as he bounces from reconnaissance mission to part-time job and back again, all while trying to keep his mother in the dark about the devil in their basement and struggling to deal with a developing crush that he has no idea how to act on. As it turns out, the devil has a lot in common with teenagers (at least when it comes to junk food proclivities), and Max discovers that he is able to prevail when the chips are really down. Readers will howl, especially when the cross-generational human-­devil double-date dinner scene arrives.--Howerton, Erin Downey Copyright 2015 Booklist

In this dark comedy, Damico (the Croak trilogy) shows what happens when a deal with the devil, however reluctant, goes horribly wrong. Seventeen-year-old Max Kilgore indulges in some petty shoplifting and ends up with a velour tracksuit-wearing devil named Burg squatting in his basement, eating junk food and shouting at cable shows. Driven by both self-preservation and desperation, Max agrees to find Burg a place to live if the devil will heal Max's mother's bad heart. Max enlists the help of Lore, a classmate who's had prior experience with devilry, but soon they're both caught up in an increasingly messy, morally murky situation. Damico's blend of bleak humor and harsh reality lends itself well to Max's social awkwardness and Lore's biting cynicism, while Burg is outrageously appalling (one moment he's munching on a stick of butter half-naked, the next he's hurling a fireplace poker at Max's head). The ending is somewhat rushed and leaves a few loose ends, but this remains a wild and unpredictable cautionary tale about ill-considered bargains and bad decisions. Ages 14-up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Max spends his time doing crossword puzzles, digging for fossils, and caring for his sick mother. Unintentionally digging a hole into Hell, Max ends up with a devil in his basement. In an attempt to heal his mom, Max makes increasingly dangerous deals with Burg, the junk-food-loving devil. Damico presents a darkly humorous adventure that will leave readers laughing while they cry. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 9 Up-Max is a good kid, and he does one bad thing: he steals a silly glittery cat bobble head from the convenience store where he works to give to his seriously ill mother. This small act of "evil" accidentally releases a demon named Burg. His friend Lore understands because she experienced a similar incident (for a white lie) and was forced by her demon to do horrible things, causing her much heartbreak until it mysteriously disappeared. The teens struggle to send Max's devil away, but Max is also determined to force the spirit to heal his mother, who is on the waiting list for a heart transplant. The protagonist gets drawn deeper into Burg's web as he attempts to keep his end of the bargain and simultaneously find a way to vanquish the devil. Damico draws readers into this quirky novel with well-written prose, believable characters, and an evenly plotted story line. More than a farce-comedy adventure with silly demons, as the cover might suggest, it will appeal to teens who enjoy literary works with some humor and an exploration of the nature of evil. With some expert booktalking, librarians can get this title into the right hands.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A dark comedy follows the misadventures of a boy trying to get rid of the devil that has moved into his basement. Yes, Max starts the book by doing something bad: He steals a silly toy for his sick mom. Then he indulges his paleontology obsession by digging a hole on the hill that looms over his town, only to open a huge, apparently bottomless crater. Sadly, it seems that Max's decision to embrace the criminal life is enough to bring the powers of hell down upon his heador rather, into his basement. Upon returning home from his excavation efforts, he finds an actual devil named Burg happily snacking on junk food and declaring himself a permanent resident in Max's home. Seeing a possible advantage in his new supernatural housemate, Max makes a deal: The constantly wisecracking Burg will cure his mom's critical heart disease if he can find Burg a free mansion with a hot tub. Lore, a girl who understands Max's dilemma only too well, teams up with him to try to appease Burg before he starts killing people. Damico, who explored the lives of teenage grim reapers in her Croak trilogy, writes with wry wit and constant dark humor. She mixes in a bit of possible romance, as Max wonders if he has any chance with the vastly different Lore, also to great comic effect. Hilariousall the way through. (Fantasy. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.