Winger (Winger)

by Andrew Smith.

[Sam@WLABB]

Smith really knocked me out with this one. This is the story of Ryan Dean West. The ONLY 14 year old junior at Pine Mountain Academy. He is super smart and even made varsity rugby team as a sophomore, but he thinks of himself as a loser. Some bad choices land him in O-Hall, the dorm for the delinquent students. He thought this was a catastrophe, since he could no longer room with his friend, Seanie and JP, but it ends up being a catalytic event, which puts him on a journey of self growth and discovery.

So many good things to say about this book. First, I loved Ryan Dean. I loved his stories and his thoughts. He was, as you will hear many times in this book, adorable. He was 14. He had a lot to learn, but also knew so much. He establishes a beautiful friendship with Joey, the openly gay, senior captain of the rugby team. Their friendship is filled with give and take, but it was really honest. The way RD kept admonishing himself, when he would feel awkward about something with Joey, which he would never feel awkward about with other male friends. Ryan Dean wanted people to see beyond his differences, and pushed himself to do the same.

I loved Joey and how he embraced his friendship with RD. He acted a lot like a big brother, pushing Ryan Dean to see more than meets the eye with many situations and to man up, and get it together, when he starts making a long list of enemies.

I loved that Smith knew how some events needed more words, and others needed less. The chapter breaks were so appropriate and he understood, that for some things, there just were no words. I greatly enjoyed the humor in this book. It was sort of fun to be inside the head of bright, 14 year old boy. I laughed many times, quite loudly. The drama and tension were quite real, and the build up towards the end was done so well.

Overall, great coming of age story, filled with love and friendship and a few tears (I cannot lie)