Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules The World. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 2003.Annotation: Seventeen year old Troy Billings is six-foot-one, 296 pounds. He befriends the popular, skinny, homeless, punk rock singer, Curt MacCrae. Thought they are complete opposites they shared a sacred bond while still living similar lives.
Justification for Nomination: While this book does use explicit language, sexual reference, and drug use it fits the typical teenager striving to belong to something. Troy Billings, battles issues with his weight, has to compete with his perfect, athletic, little brother. He is self-conscious of people staring at his fat. He makes fun of being fat with these catchy headlines. He talks about suicide as if it was as natural as breathing. He befriends this punk rock, homeless popular guy that everyone admires. The more time he spent with this guy the more he realized he too could belong to something special. Besides the relationship Troy shared with Curt he also shared a sometimes complex one with his retired marine father. Like most parents they then tend to forget what it was like to be a teenager and how their emotions can affect them. Thought I never had over-weight issues, I can relate to Troy. The feeling of being too thin at his age and how I thought people perceived me. I also had a complex relationship with my father but knew deep down he still loved me. I haven't read a novel in over five years and this book caught my attention that I couldn't put it down.
Genre Categories: Honor book, fiction, challenged, censored, coming of age, realistic, and edgy
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