King of the Screwups
After Liam Geller’s controlling, distant, high-achieving father kicks him out of the house for screwing up once too often, Liam ends up living with “aunt” Pete, his gay uncle who lives in a trailer park in Upstate New York. Liam’s culture shock after life with his dad and mom, a former supermodel, is nothing compared to his sense of loss and longing—for support from his mother and approval from his father. Determined to prove that he strives for more than good looks and popularity, Liam tries to become one of the unpopular kids at his new school. But when he manages to turn even AV club into something cool, Liam knows he’s failed at being an outcast. Liam’s attempts at unpopularity are hilarious, but the underlying current of his story is achingly painful as K. L. Going explores the life of a teenage boy torn apart by his father’s rejection. A cast of fully realized, appealing secondary characters who support and challenge Liam to be and value himself, and to pursue his interest in modeling in fashion, enrich Going’s masterful, entertaining novel. ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Arguments/Conflict
Friendship
Gays
Humor
LGBTQ+ Persons
School
Uncles
Diversity subject:
LGBTQ Family
Publishers:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Harcourt
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 310
ISBN: 9780152062583
CCBC Location: Fiction, Going