September's Book Pick is WINGER, by the increasingly prolific Andrew Smith. Although WINGER was published in 2013, he already has GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE and 100 SIDEWAYS MILES coming out in 2014. (GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, by the way, is weirder and more epic in scope than Winger, and is quite possibly a masterpiece--so far, it's my pick for the Printz this year. I haven't read the Sideways Miles book yet.)
I have to admit that the cover of WINGER made it really hard for me to open the book. Every time I saw that guy in the prep school outfit, with the bloody tissue sticking out of his nose, I picked up something else. Even when I heard over and over how great the story was. I finally must have focused only at the back cover, which is an artist's rendering of the photo on the front, and somewhat more appealing to me.
But, of course, I'm really glad I finally did open the book and then I charged right through it. I loved the voice of Ryan Dean--his honesty and sense of humor, his ability to pick himself up and move forward when he screws up, his earnestness, his doofusness--and his recognition of such. I also liked how he keeps on trying to learn, trying to improve, trying to transcend his pubescent boy self and turn into a decent human being, in his own way and with his own style. And how he goes after what he wants, though he tries to minimize the fallout--overall, not day-to-day, which I see as particularly human and realistic.
This would have been an entertaining coming-of-age school story without the final 31 pages; with them, I felt like I'd been beaten up myself. The clues are there--this is not a world for softies--but I never saw it coming.
And yet Winger is also laugh-out-loud funny. Chapter 49, Screaming Ned, and the boys in their costumes for Halloween dance conjure up truly hysterical images.
I'm pretty sure I need to read 100 Sideways Miles next, and then I'll be looking forward to hearing the author speak at an SCBWI workshop in Santa Barbara next spring.
--Lynn
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