Plot Summary
Liam has a problem most high school students would love to have: he is extremely good looking and becomes popular without even trying. However, his popularity gets him into trouble, and he never fails to disappoint his wealthy businessman father who wants him to straighten up and pick up his failing grades. Liam's popularity and good looks always land him at the hottest parties where he tends to make a mess of himself. After one too many drunken incidents, Liam gets shipped away from home, and, in a twist of fate, he lands in the trailer-park home of his uncle, a cross dressing d.j., who sings in a seventies cover band. Miserable, Liam decides that he'll do his best to get out of there by succeeding on his father’s terms: he’ll get good grades and become unpopular. Though he fails at becoming unpopular or improving his g.p.a., Liam does learn from his cross-dressing uncle some important lessons about family and unconditional love.
Critical Evaluation
The central conflict in this novel is an internal one, a question of identity. Liam has always been valued for parts of himself over which he has little or no control: he is the extremely good-looking son of a former runway model and a wealthy businessman. People have always judged Liam by his looks and desired to be his friend based on that appeal. After being kicked out of his home and sent to his uncle’s home, Liam tries to redefine himself so that he can get out of the small town and trailer park. As he tries to model himself in his father’s image (successful, efficient, “masculine”), he rejects his uncle and his seventies “glam-rock” bandmates. Through a series of events that lead to his failure to remake himself in his father’s image, Liam learns more about his uncle’s finer qualities, his own true strengths, and a new definition of success. By the end of the novel, Liam realizes that there is more to him than just his good looks--even if his father can't see that.
Reader’s Annotation
Liam figures that the only way to get out of his uncle’s trailer park and back home with his wealthy parents is by becoming academically successful--and unpopular.
Information about the Author
According to the author’s web-site, “KL Going is the award winning author of books for children and teens. Her first novel, Fat Kid Rules the World was named a Michael Printz honor book by the American Library Association, as well as one of the Best Books for Young Adults from the past decade. Her books have been Booksense picks, Scholastic Book Club choices, Junior Library Guild selections, winners of state book awards, and featured by Publishers
Weekly, School Library Journal, and Children's Book Council as Best Books. Her work has been published in Korea, Italy, Japan and the UK.
KL began her career working at one of the oldest literary agencies in New York City. She used this inner knowledge of publishing to write Writing and Selling the Young Adult Novel -- a how-to book for aspiring writers, published by Writer's Digest. She has also written short stories for several anthologies and currently has two picture books under contract for future release. She currently lives in Glen Spey, NY where she both writes and runs a business critiquing manuscripts.”
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Booktalking Ideas
Read aloud the passage at the beginning of the novel in which Liam is drunk and partially naked, lying on top of his father’s desk. Liam has screwed up again, but his time his father isn’t ready to forgive him.
Reading Level/Interest Age
14+
Challenge Issues
This book could be challenged on the grounds of its having a gay character and representations of under-age drinking. If the book were challenged, I would turn to ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included?
This book was recommended to me by my local branch librarian as a recently published, enjoyable teen read.
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