July 15, 2013

Review: Twerp

Twerp By Mark Goldblatt
Available now from Random House BFYR
Review copy

TWERP is the story of Julian, a young boy growing up in 1969 New York.  He's twelve, a bit of a follower, and his main claim to fame is being the fastest kid in school.  He's writing a book throughout the school year as punishment for an incident of bullying that remains unspecified until the end.

I loved the structure of TWERP.  Each chapter is a vignette of sixth-grade life and reminded me of the work of Louis Sachar, albeit less absurd.  But the various threads - crushes, races, bullying all work together to paint a detailed portrait of Julian and his personal growth.  I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed the book so much if the incident was detailed earlier in the book.  At the end, it's easy to see that Julian is maturing and unlikely to do such a thing ever again.  At the beginning, it would've made me dislike Julian too much to be interested in his progress.

TWERP deals with bullying in an excellent way.  It shows how easy it is to go along with people who are being mean, to fit in by not making waves.  But this isn't a heavy book.  Most of the other topics explored are much lighter and funnier.  I wouldn't have compared it to Sachar's work if it wasn't hilarious.

I really hope TWERP finds its audience.  It's a great middle grade read - engaging, smart, funny, and poignant.  It's Goldblatt's first novel for younger readers, and I hope he writes more for this audience.  He's got the knack of it.

6 comments:

  1. I like the idea of revealing the "bullying incident" at the end. you're right, it allows readers to warm up to the MC before learning about it. I haven't read this, but I'm curious!

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    1. Yep. And Julian does some not-so-nice things throughout the book, but it really is a big one. I hope you do pick it up - it's great!

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  2. This sounds like a well-done book. Julian sounds like (sadly) a typical 6th grader who hasn't learned his social skills or how to filter yet.

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    1. But the good thing is is that like most sixth graders he changes.

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  3. I really enjoyed this book too-the journey was so emotionally satisfying! Love the comparison to Sachar's writing as I can definitely see that.

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    Replies
    1. I was surprised how much I liked this one. But this is definitely an example of what I mean when a book has good character growth.

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