This comic romp about eating disorders provides more bodily functions than functional solutions. Fourteen-year-old Shermie Thuff aims to become a world-famous competitive eater with the slogan, “Are YOU Thuff Enuff?” The problem is, he can only eat (at most) 18 hot dogs—and not quickly enough—and he always vomits afterwards, an event Halverson describes graphically. A friend suggests that Shermie lose his “Belt of Fat,” so he hires wrestler Gardo as his weight-loss coach. Together, the two starve and drastically dehydrate themselves, Shermie balking only when Gardo spits into a cup all day long to expel fluids. School-sponsor Del Heiny Ketchup permits only “ketchup-dunkable” foods in the cafeteria; a campy guerrilla counter-campaign for mustard keeps the tone casual, but the bingeing and purging are severe. Shermie’s desire to eat competitively never quite rings true, while Halverson’s facile solutions for eating disorders are oversimplified. This puke-focused foodie offering will please mostly the gross-out crowd. (author’s note) (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: June 10, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-73394-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
A courageous teen’s moral dilemma—and how he comes to terms with it—underscores this well-written, sometimes gripping story. A young child, for whom 15-year-old Brady Parks once baby-sat, dies after his family’s kayak sinks during an outing. Brady’s valiant attempts to revive little Ben actually get him to breathe for a few minutes. Sadly, the tiny boy succumbs and Brady’s plagued with guilt and grief. His sorrow is nothing, though, compared with the shock of discovering that the tragedy was the result of a malicious prank by his two best friends. Even worse is Brady’s discovery that he himself unwittingly gave them the idea. This sickening fact, reluctance to rat on his pals, and the thought that he, too, could be criminally charged in the death keep Brady silent. In the end, though, Brady knows what he must do. The bland title and cover might keep kids away from this strong effort. Too bad: it deserves an audience. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-525-47317-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
The poster boy for relentless mischief-makers everywhere, first encountered in No, David! (1998), gives his weary mother a rest by going to school. Naturally, he’s tardy, and that’s but the first in a long string of offenses—“Sit down, David! Keep your hands to yourself! PAY ATTENTION!”—that culminates in an afterschool stint. Children will, of course, recognize every line of the text and every one of David’s moves, and although he doesn’t exhibit the larger- than-life quality that made him a tall-tale anti-hero in his first appearance, his round-headed, gap-toothed enthusiasm is still endearing. For all his disruptive behavior, he shows not a trace of malice, and it’ll be easy for readers to want to encourage his further exploits. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48087-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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