Troy is fat. Not just a little chubby, but nearly 300 pounds of grade A blubber. In fact, he is so fat and so miserable that he contemplates throwing himself off of a NYC subway platform just to end it all. That is when he meets his grunge guardian angel, Curt McCrae. Curt is a local legend around Troy’s school, as he fronts an awesome downtown punk band. Despite being a high school dropout, Curt is a phenomenal guitarist and decides that Troy’s fate is not to be squished flat on the tracks, but instead to be his band’s new drummer. Together, the two forge an unlikely friendship in the dark and smoky world of New York’s punk scene. Making a commitment to help each other fight their addictions (Troy’s to food, and Curt’s to drugs) these two anti-heroes just might make it. Funny, sad, and sometimes, really gross, (Troy re-visits all too often in his first person narrative two particularly yucky body functions: sweat and puke) Fat Kid is ready to rule your world and your heart from page one.
This is one of my FAVE YA books, I love K.L. Going. I’m also crazy about your site, it’s fantastically detailed and tons of fun. A great help to me when recommended cool new reads and something different for the teens who shop at the bookstore I work at.
Thanks for the kind words and for helping teens choose books!
I definitely fell in love with this book…. It jumps in and out of characters and how THEY’RE feeling, and I love the way this book starts. It definitely shows that everyone can find something they love, no matter how extraordinary.