Word Nerd

Word Nerdby Susin NielsenAmbrose Bukowski is a twelve-year-old social misfit. He has food allergies; he wears "uncool" clothing (his sneakers are Ikes, a cheap imitation of Nikes); he has no friends. He and his overprotective widowed mother, Irene, live in a dreary basement rental in Vancouver, where they have moved so Irene can work teaching "sessionals" to mediocre college students. Three school bullies torture Ambrose on a daily basis.When Ambrose almost dies at school from a "prank" the bullies play on him, his mother switches him to home schooling, requiring him to spend much of his time at the apartment alone. At the same time, the family upstairs, a Greek couple named Mr. and Mrs. Economopoulos, welcomes back from jail their twenty-five-year-old son Cosmo, who tells Ambrose he was jailed for "killing a boy...who asked too many stupid questions."An improbable friendship develops between Ambrose and Cosmo when they discover their mutual interest in SCRABBLE®. Ambrose finds a flyer advertising the West Side Scrabble Club and convinces Cosmo to drive him there--very much against Irene's rules. The SCRABBLE® club helps Ambrose gain confidence and self-esteem, and Cosmo gets support from Amanda, the beautiful director, in his efforts to find a better life after a rough start as a drug addict and thief.Author Susin Neilsen has done her homework. Her descriptions of the West Side Scrabble Club and its annual tournament, where Ambrose and Cosmo compete, offer a warm look at the many types of people one meets at clubs and tournaments. Ambrose, initially intimidated by the players and then boastful when he wins, learns sensitivity to others--and a good list of helpful words. He finds in the SCRABBLE® community a welcome he never received at school. A cute touch is that each chapter begins with an anagram of the actual title, followed by words that can be made using those letters. Initial caps starting each chapter are inside bonus-point-shaped squares.In many ways the book reminded me of Nick Hornsby's excellent novel About a Boy, in which the friendship between a shallow womanizer and an awkward preteen boy with a difficult home life transforms them both. While Word Nerd is definitely aimed at the young adult audience, it is a nice read for all ages--particularly SCRABBLE® players. As a coach of middle-school players, I understood Ambrose's emotions as he went from kitchen player to tournament player, gaining confidence and pride. I only wish that most SCRABBLE® clubs didn't meet so late in the evening--it's tough for younger players to attend.In the acknowledgments the author thanks the Vancouver SCRABBLE® Club for letting her attend--and credits Stefan Fatsis's Word Freak for attracting her to SCRABBLE®. I am grateful she chose SCRABBLE® as the background for this coming-of-age story--and I hope that the story not only appeals to today's Youth SCRABBLE®Players, but also may attract other young players to the club and tournament scene.Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen is available at bookstores and at Amazon.com.

Please put everything down and read this book! Ambrose is a unique kid trying to find his way in the world while trying to overcome bullying, an overbearing mom, moving constantly and being without a dad. He finds acceptance and friendship in his ex-con neighbor, Cosmo, who is a good person who took a few wrong turns in life. Both find a bond through their love of Scrabble. This is one of those books that you want to keep reading forever, because you don't want to lose your connection with the characters. Great book for 7th grade and up. Some references to drugs, sex and curse words, but the author does so in a very gentle and considerate way.

Great book!

Hey man what's up with you and your mom's friends who are currently really extremely important to your moral health.

As a grade 7/8 teacher, I found this was a book that really engaged my students, but had the right balance of humour, etc. that allowed me to actually enjoy it, as well!

I love misfit stories... Here are a couple of misfits who need each other. I enjoyed this a lot! Fun book.

This book by far exceeded my expectations. It is real literature with wonderful lessons about acceptance, independence and not being afraid to be yourself. My rising 6th grader loved it.

A YA story of a lonely kid who becomes deeply involved in playing Scrabble competitively. Through this, he becomes less lonely, develops various friendships, and more...a very enjoyable read for kids and adults alike! Not only that, but this will build a person's vocabulary, especially if a Scrabble aficionado!

Bought this after reading 'We are All made of Molecules' by same author. Reading with my 13 yr old daughter. We both enjoy it. I like spending the 1 on 1 time with her and book raises some issues which you can discuss, bullying, when kids are different how do they feel if isolated and made fun of by other children, etc. Also some words and phrases, " Pornography" , she found embarrassing to say in front of me, which I hadn't encountered before. I like it and will prob by more by same author.

We (mum, age 40 and daughter, age 10) love Susin Nielsen books!

Loved this. All characters are believable and fit the story with ease. A sense of movement and self-discovery by all characters help to make this an easy read with a sense of satisfaction at the end. Will recommend.

came in good quality!

I haven't read it but my Son did at school and asked for a copy for Christmas so he could read it again and have his own. Author is Canadian.