Teen Boat! by Dave Roman and John Green

Not every book comes with a fool-proof litmus test, but this one certainly does. Just read the tag-line on the cover:

The angst of being a teen! The thrill of being a boat!

Now, having read that, you will have had one of two reactions: either you smiled, laughed, or otherwise enjoyed it, or you scowled and found it silly. If you were one of the latter, leave now: the joys of Teen Boat! are not for you.

Written by Dave Roman, drawn by John Green, Teen Boat! is the story of one boy with an unusual condition: he can transform into a small yacht (unless he gets water in his inner ear, which causes him to lose control over his changes). It's no secret: his name is Teen Boat, and everyone in his school knows about what he can do, from top jock Harry Cobbs to alluring exchange student Nina Pinta Santa Maria to his boyhood friend Joey Steinberg (who clearly hides some transformative secret of her own).

The Teen Boat stories were originally published in mincomics, so they tend to be short -- some multi-parters, but mostly 8-10 pages long. They're all tongue-in-cheek -- as the names may have already tipped you off -- with an amusing and only slightly juvenile sense of humor. Teen Boat battles pirates, struggles with love (both as a teen and as a boat!), takes his driving test, and works at a restaurant -- just the right mix of every-teen and completely wacky.

Teen Boat is utterly awesome, and, if you don't get that, you must have barnacles on your hull. Teen Boat! Long may he sail!