ACHUKA Book of the Day Mon 24 Aug 2020
“A masterful mingling of deeply resonant themes, including self-esteem, loneliness, loss, and the rewards of improbable friendships. ” Publishers Weekly
“Wolkenstein successfully weaves together Will’s gloom and avoidance, grief (portrayed, appropriately, as distinct from depression), emotional progress, and Jewish practice.” Kirkus
“This is a wonderful, funny, sad and profound story. It’s very well written in first person and readers will really be able to get inside Will’s head. Interestingly the book began as an autobiographical comic strip in the same style as Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the directness and relatability of this book, as well as its American backdrop, are somewhat similar.” BookTrust
Twelve-year-old Will likes two things: turtles and the local nature reserve. Everything else is a nightmare, because Will has a facial difference that has earned him an unfortunate nickname. But when Will’s Bar Mitzvah community service project introduces him to RJ, a boy who is confined to a hospital room, Will discovers they both have strength to lend the other and that life is too short to live in a shell.
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