Flashback Friday: FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN’T HAVE by Allen Zadoff
Nov 14th, 2014 by
Liza Wiemer
For more information on Flashback Friday, visit Fiction Fare
FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN’T HAVE by Allen Zadoff
Published by EgmontUSA
Pub. Date September 8, 2009
For more information on Allen Zadoff & his other novels check out: Goodreads | Website | Twitter
Literary awards
YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults
From Goodreads:
What’s worse than being fat your freshman year?
Being fat your sophomore year.
Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky–hang with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat. He’s used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.
But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over, but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.
Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.
Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girl of his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his mom and dad back together?
How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?
Andrew is about to find out.
I loved Zadoff’s Food, Girls, & Other Things I Can’t Have – winner of the 2010 Sid Fleischman award. It’s so good to read a novel with a strong male main character, one who shows his insecurities, isn’t the “hot” guy. Andy is authentic, battling real issues – weight, divorced parents, confusing friends, confusing girls. There are plenty of laughs, plenty of ah ha moments. This is a great novel for reluctant readers, especially boys who want to find their authentic selves!
Put on your must read list. 😀
View all my reviews
Highlights from the School Library Journal #TeenSummer Online Event #SLJST
Jul 24th, 2013 by
Liza Wiemer
Today, I participated in the online School Library Journal SummerTeen event , which I would describe as an outstanding, informative, dynamic, interactive event with live web broadcasts, panel discussions, chats with authors, publishers, a film director & fellow YA enthusiasts-teachers, librarians, writers. Besides the online site through SLJ, we used the hashtag #SLJST to connect with others. It was a productive time and I found myself glued to the computer and actively participating and listening. It took me over an hour to prepare the omelet I made for lunch because I kept turning back to my computer.
Here were some of my favorite tweets I posted or RT
today:
While visiting the Candlewick booth, I learned about FALLOUT by Todd Strasser. The publication date is September 10, 2013 and there are 272 pages. I think it will be a fascinating historical fiction novel and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Here’s the description from Goodreads :
What if the bomb had actually been dropped? What if your family was the only one with a shelter?
In the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is all anyone talks about. But Scott’s dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst. As the neighbors scoff, he builds a bomb shelter to hold his family and stocks it with just enough supplies to keep the four of them alive for two critical weeks. In the middle of the night in late October, when the unthinkable happens, those same neighbors force their way into the shelter before Scott’s dad can shut the door. With not enough room, not enough food, and not enough air, life inside the shelter is filthy, physically draining, and emotionally fraught. But even worse is the question of what will — and won’t — remain when the door is opened again. Internationally best-selling author Todd Strasser has written his most impressive and personal novel to date, ruthlessly yet sensitively exploring the terrifying what-ifs of one of the most explosive moments in human history.
I also was fascinated by this YA book trailer for Aquifer by Jonathan Friesen, which is being published by Blink YA Books:
Another highlight was Penguin’s Authors Stand Up for Free Speech video, which talks about banned books:
My tweet:
Over at Disney, I participated in a wonderful chat with Tamara Ireland Stone (see tweet above about the video I discovered) and am thrilled to have been able to download onto my iPad her newest book TIME AFTER TIME! I absolutely LOVED her first novel, TIME BETWEEN US! I had posted about it on my blog here: http://www.whorublog.com/?p=1374
Here’s the video:
At Scholastic, I chatted with Katie Alender, author of Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. I learned that she spent quite a bit of time in Paris researching this novel and took forty-five minute tour of the Catacombs. When I asked her what her most surprising discovery was while doing research for this novel, she said that Paris was the perfect location for a murdering ghost! And since I’ve been to Paris, I’d have to agree. Lots of old buildings, nooks and crannies, and, of course, the Catacombs!
I listened to several webinars, including Tamora Pierce who was the keynote speaker. (See tweets above.) I loved Allen Zadoff, author of Boy Nobody who was a part of the Real Life Mysteries and Thrillers Panel. (See tweets above.) Technology in Teen Lit and Humor Me! Panel were great too. (See tweets above.) I had no idea that Paul Rudnick was so funny!
I can’t thank SLJ, the publishers, authors, and participants enough for this free event. I look forward to participating next year.
Waiting on Wednesday: BOY NOBODY by Allen Zadoff
May 22nd, 2013 by
Liza Wiemer
If you need one more reason to read Boy Nobody, then take a look at this amazing book trailer!
VIDEO