Fat Kid Rules the World
by K. L. Going
List Price:
Our Price: $1.98
You Save: $5.01 (72%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: K. L. GoingEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-18
ISBN: 0142402087
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Speak
Book Reviews of Fat Kid Rules the World
Book Review: from missprint DOT wordpress DOT com
Summary: 5 Stars
Troy Billings is seventeen years old. He weighs 296 pounds. He's six foot one. And he has a crew cut. Yeah, that's right, a crew cut. He is a sweating fat kid standing on the edge of the subway platform over the yellow line and looking down.
And, if you think about it right, there's something funny about it, there really is.
At least until Curt MacCrae, the wily blonde ferret of a boy--sometimes student, sometimes dropout, all-the-time legend (and all-the-time homeless) boy/guitar genius, saves Troy's life.
Suddenly, instead of jumping in front of the F train Troy is the new drummer in Curt's band. Even though he can't actually play the drums.
As Troy learns the ins and outs of Punk Rock and being Curt's friend, he also finds that hitting it big as a drummer and in life might have a lot more to do with his attitude than is weight in Fat Kid Rules the World (2004) by K. L. Going.
I didn't realize it until just now when I was writing up the summary part of the review (I write those all myself, did you all know that?), but this is actually one of my favorite books.
It's not easy being the outsider because you can't shop at the same stores as the skinny kids or because you're plain old bigger than everyone else.* It's not easy having a brother who thinks you're a loser or a father who pretty much knows you're a waste of space. Troy has all of those things bringing him down.
He also has the most amazing sense of humor that comes through in every page of the book in his charming narration. Going manages to take a story that could be tragic and make it funny, poignant, hopeful and amazing. It's short enough to dazzle reluctant readers, deep enough to thrill anyone looking for something more "literary." In short, Fat Kid Rules the World is just kind of a great book.
But not everyone thinks so . . . *cue dramatic segue music*
For those of you who might not know, we are smack in the middle of Banned Books Week (September 25 to October 2, 2010). Banned Books Week is an annual thing that ALA has been organizing since 1982. It's a week to raise awareness about books that are challenged in local libraries for reasons ranging from vaguely logical in a skewed-censorship-supporting-way to the completely insane (like this guy who thought Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was pornographic**).
At its core, Banned Books Week is, quite simlpy, about celebrating the freedom to read whatever you want. (Possibly also to read whatever you want without remorse.) Thankfully larger library systems, like the one where I work, don't have a lot of challenges that reach this level. But many libraries do and it's a serious problem because people should be able to make their own decisions about what they read. And it's not just modern books either, many popular classics are banned or challenged all the time.
To celebrate Banned Books Week The Rejectionist and T. H. Mafi have proposed that everyone post a review of their favorite banned book on September 30, so here (obviously) is my review of Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going which was the 58th most banned book of the decade (here's the bonus list for 1990 to 1999) and also one of the sweetest, most optimistic books out there (in a manly, all of the characters are boys, kind of way). Oh and it was a Printz Award honor book in 2004.
Also, because I enjoy sharing links, here also is K. L. Going's post about a recent challenge to Fat Kid Rules the World.
*I actually had many petite friends in high school who came to my shoulder and it's really weird being surrounded by people who are smaller than you. Just saying. Moving on . . .
**SPOILER: He thought it was pornographic because of a rape scene. You read that right. You may already have seen a lot of #speakloudly hashtags on Twitter or heard about it through another book blog.
Possible Pairings: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
Summary of Fat Kid Rules the World
Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy?s dad thinks Curt?s a drug addict and Troy?s brother thinks Troy?s the biggest (literally) loser in Manhattan. Soon, Curt?s recruited Troy as his new drummer?even though Troy can?t play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy?s own life, forever.
Teens Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Teens Books
13 Little Blue Envelopesby Maureen Johnson
HarperTeen; Published: 2005-08-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Far Northby Will Hobbs
HarperTeen; Published: 2004-04-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.58
Price in other shops:
Things Fall Apart: With Connectionsby Chinua Achebe
Holt McDougal; Published: 1999-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.86
Price in other shops:
Holt Physicsby Serway, Faughn
Holt Rinehart & Winston; Published: 2002-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $26.95
Price in other shops:
Pe Holt Physics 99by Raymond A. Serway, Jerry S. Faughn
Saunders College Publishing; Published: 1999; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.90
Price in other shops:
Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Likeby Jay Williams
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1984-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $309.46
Dogsong----INSCRIBED----by Gary Paulsen
Bradbury Press; Published: 1985; Hardcover; Book
White Stallion of Lipizzaby Marguerite Henry
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1994-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $176.20
Wings. Aprilynne Pikeby Aprilynne Pike
HarperCollins Children's Books; Published: 2009-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Killers Cousin (Collins Flamingo)by Nancy Werlin
Harpercollins Childs; Published: 2002-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Similar Books and other products
Forever . . .by Judy Blume
Books; Simon Pulse; Published: 2007-04-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.78
Price in other shops:
Literature for Today's Young Adults (8th Edition)by Alleen Pace Nilsen, Kenneth L. Donelson
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 2008-04-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $70.00
Price in other shops:
The Liberation of Gabriel Kingby K. L. Going
Penguin Group USA; Puffin; Published: 2007-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.49
Price in other shops:
Will Grayson, Will Graysonby John Green, David Levithan
Dutton; Speak; Published: 2011-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Saint Iggyby K. L. Going
Graphia; Published: 2008-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.23
Price in other shops:
King of the Screwupsby K. L. Going
Graphia; Published: 2010-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.51
Price in other shops:
Thirteen Reasons Whyby Jay Asher
Razorbill; Razorbill; Published: 2011-06-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.16
Price in other shops:
Monsterby Walter Dean Myers
Amistad; Published: 2001-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.92
Price in other shops:
Twistedby Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak; Speak; Published: 2008-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indianby Sherman Alexie
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Published: 2009-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.18
Price in other shops: