Troy, aka The Fat Kid, is on the brink of suicide when he first meets Curt McCray. Curt is a punk rock god. He is a talented musician; unfortunately, the rest of his life is a disaster. He is homeless, using prescription pills, and is full of lies to try to get through the day. He is also full or talent and ideas. Troy is just the opposite. He is so self-conscious and lives in his head all the time. Troy got fat after the death of his mother and thinks his fatness defines his life. At times I got sick of his whining and insecurity, but eventually, he gets it together to move toward self acceptance. Curt and Troy come together as a punk rock band. A journey into friendship, self-discovery, saving someone, and rock and roll. ( )

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

Troy knows that everyone is watching him. And laughing at him. Of course they are. At seventeen years old and almost 300 pounds, wearing what appears to be the same pair of tan pants daily, every move he makes is laughable. Will he be able to get out of the car? How many burgers will he eat? Even his effort to breathe is laughable as he huffs and puffs his way along.

He worries that he smells. You don’t understand. It’s not that he’s a pig or anything, he just has a hard time fitting in the shower.

Poised over the subway tracks, Troy contemplates whether he can find a form of suicide that will be so serious, so severe, that no one will laugh. Enter Curt. Semi-homeless teen, school dropout, legend at his high school, and uber amazing guitar player, Curt attaches himself to Troy after saving him from the tracks. He’s an itch that can’t be scratched, a tick burrowing under the skin. Before Troy realizes it, he’s agreed to buy Curt dinner and join his band as a drummer, even though he hasn’t played since seventh grade.

Who is he kidding? He can’t do this. He sees it in the eyes of his perfect kid brother, Dayle, as well as his military dad, the “disappointed dysfunctional parent."

But with Curt’s help, Troy learns to look past himself. He finds support in unexpected places. But it’s not until Curt is hospitalized that Troy finally has the guts to really take a risk.

This is a fast-paced book. K. L. Going immerses the reader in the world of punk rock through the eyes of the fat kid who yearns to have people really look at him. She has a great sense of humor that shines with lines of comparison, like when Troy compares himself to Dayle before the big gig. Troy thinks Dayle looks like he’s “ready to win the Super Bowl, while I’m ready to heave into one." Ms. Going does an amazing job of getting into the psyche of the fat kid. There is a fair amount of rough language, but even so, this book rocks! ( )

Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. 2003. G. P. Putnam’s Sons: New York.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Themes: Drugs, Sexual Situations, Self-Esteem/Obesity, Suicide, Music.

Reading Level: Juvenile Grades 7-9, Ages 12-14

Awards:
Michael L. Printz Honor Book (2004)
Young Reader's Choice Award 2006
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2005-2006)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice (2006)
Printz Honor (2004)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Own Your Freak, 2005)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Bodies, 2010)

Plot Summary:
The book opens with our protagonist, Troy, a three hundred pound senior, standing on the platform waiting on the subway, contemplating jumping in front of the oncoming subway train. He is stopped by Curt MacCrae, a local high school legend/dropout. MacCrae then informs Troy that he owes him dinner for saving his life.
Curt is a guitar legend at Troy’s school, and is a dropout who mysteriously reappears occasionally on campus. Curt informs Troy that he is starting a new band and that Troy is his new drummer. Curt takes Troy to a club called “the dump” to watch his first punk rock concert. As the book progresses, Troy gains glimpses into Curt’s addiction. His addiction and erratic behavior leaves Troy confused and paranoid that Curt will stop hanging out with him, pushing Troy back to obscurity.
The “band” gets booked to play at the dump, and as it approaches Troy becomes more and more nervous, which leads him to throw up on stage as the gig begins. The embarrassment causes Troy to return to his shell and cut off contact with Curt. Eventually, Troy goes to find Curt. Curt is rather sick, sleeping in an abandoned subway station. Curt is hospitalized and Troy forces Curt to confront his addiction by convincing his father to let Troy live with them. Curt’s initial reaction is one of suspicion and distrust, but through the actions of Troy and his father, the book closes with Curt agreeing to try to stay clean.

Critique:
The novel fit so many characteristics, that it is hard to begin this section. Obviously, the drug addiction plays the part of the “problem” in the problem novel, but the book deals with other issues that are key to today’s YAs. The dialog and mannerisms described seemed to be very apt and should ring true to YAs reading it. The humor that is used serves to diffuse any tension created when addressing serious subjects like drug addiction and suicide. The settings (school, home, subway) are effective and appropriate for YA readers, however, the parts that take place in the “dump” seemed a little far fetched. The idea of an “intense” punk rock club in New York city letting High School kids inside, just seemed odd.

Curriculum Uses:
The novel would best be used as an introduction to the touchy subject of drug addiction ( )

This book is funny, sad as heck, and ultimately possibly triumphant. In the end when T and Curt finally perform their concert the reader doesn’t get to see how it turns out. Going leaves it unresolved but still satisfying. As I got to the last ten or so pages of the book, I started panicking. They still hadn’t even sort of reached the goal they’d had since the beginning of the book (performing as a band). It was suspenseful simply because there weren’t a lot of pages left.

I really enjoyed the humor—the headlines T imagines.

Going tackles T’s near suicide attempt very skillfully. It’s so matter of fact—simple, uncluttered, frightening, but not overwhelming. There isn’t a ton of moaning about the meaninglessness of life, the unfairness of it, worries about the afterlife, which would have bogged it down. It was just very clear thinking.

Also—the fat kid loses no weight. It isn’t about how the fat kid needs to lose weight and become healthier in order to succeed. Or, after succeeding, finds that he has the ability suddenly to lose weight (like, OMG! The exercise from playing the drums made him lose 100 pounds!!) He has potential just the way he is. He struggles, and things don’t land perfectly, but they land. It manages not to say the “bad” fact about the character (his weight) has to change, while simultaneously managing not to say that with some hard work all adversity can be scaled. Because not all adversity can be conquered.

I loved it.

Depressed 17 years old Troy get new perspective on life when he met an homeless guy who's in the band.