Overview
A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant and “perceptive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration. Will is the only round kid in a school full of thin ones. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who he knows he doesn’t have a chance with, because of his size—but he can’t help wondering what if? Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing. As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.
Full Product Details
Author: Jarrett Lerner ,
Jarrett Lerner
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Aladdin
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 21.00cm
Weight: 0.592kg
ISBN: 9781665905152
ISBN 10: 1665905158
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 02 May 2023
Recommended Age: From 8 to 12 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
"""A successful marriage of art and poetry."" * --<I>Kirkus Reviews</I> * * ""A perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance."" * --<I>Publishers Weekly</I>, starred review *"
"""A successful marriage of art and poetry."" * --<I>Kirkus Reviews</I> * * ""A perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance."" * --<I>Publishers Weekly</I>, starred review * * ""Using succinct and personal-feeling verse, Lerner (the Nat the Cat series) crafts an empathetic illustrated novel about one boy’s experience with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and stigma. . . . Employing frenetic pacing and disjointed verse that conveys Will’s growing anxiety and internalized shame, Lerner cultivates a perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance."" * --<I>Publishers Weekly</I>, starred review *"
Author Information
Jarrett Lerner is the award-winning creator of more than a dozen books for kids, including the EngiNerds series of middle grade novels, the Geeger the Robot series of early chapter books, the Hunger Heroes series of graphic chapter books, two activity books, the illustrated novel in verse A Work in Progress, and the Nat the Cat series of early readers. You can find him online at JarrettLerner.com and on X and Instagram at @Jarrett_Lerner. He lives with his wife and daughters in Massachusetts.
