by Chris Lynch
First published 2013
Elvin has made it through the brutal orientation camp, but freshman year at his all-boys school brings new challenges. He walks the halls with his two closest friends, trying to decode the social hierarchy that seems to shift daily. The rumor mill churns constantly. Dances with girls from the sister school loom like tests he might fail. Everyone scrambles to be seen with the right crowd, but Elvin struggles to identify who those people actually are. His weight makes him feel visible in ways he doesn't want to be. Food becomes both comfort and enemy as he watches other students navigate social situations that feel impossible to him. The pressure to fit in weighs on him as heavily as his own body. Elvin must figure out whether chasing popularity is worth losing himself in the process.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, adolescence, school
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, social-pressure
242 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Media Teen & Tween