Word Nerd

Product Information

Twelve-year-old Ambrose is a glass-half-full kind of guy. A self-described “friendless nerd,” he moves from place to place every couple of years with his overprotective mother, Irene. When some bullies at his new school almost kill him by slipping a peanut into his sandwich — even though they know he has a deathly allergy — Ambrose is philosophical. Irene, however, is not and decides that Ambrose will be home-schooled. Ambrose Bukowski is the titular nerd and it's in his delightful, disarming voice that Word Nerd unfolds ... a funny, wry tale' Globe and Mail There are many great voices in YA fiction, but Susin Nielsen manages to give us TWO in the same book. I defy you not to fall in love with this book.' Phil Earle

Daarnaast was de moeder van Ambrose ontzettend beschermend naar hem toe en dat hoorde wel bij het boek, maar op een gegeven moment begon ik mij daar alleen maar meer aan te storen. Aan de andere kant is zij dus wel goed uitgewerkt ;) Irresistible characters, this is set to become one of the most popular books of the year’ Lovereading Susin Nielsen’s depiction of grief was pitch perfect. A sweet, funny, touching and incredibly important book’In this brilliantly observed novel, author Susin Nielsen transports the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble as seen from the honest yet funny viewpoint of a boy who’s searching for acceptance and for a place to call home. This is a tender, often funny story with some really interesting characters. It will appeal to word nerds, but even more to anyone who has ever longed for acceptance or had to fight unreasonable parental restrictions.” School Library Journal, Starred Review Twelve-year-old Ambrose Bukowski … is the titular nerd and it’s in his delightful, disarming voice that “Word Nerd” unfolds … This (is a) funny, wry tale, a tale that involves a lot of Scrabble, the reformation of an ex-con druggie and the coming-into-himself of a boy. And there’s a bit of love, too, actually.” Ambrose had moved many times in his short life, and therefore, struggled with fitting in. Then the universe sent him a sign in the form of a flyer for Scrabble club. It was there that Ambrose found his people and a place to belong.

Vancouver’s Susin Nielsen writes for the TV series “Robson Arms” and “Alice, I Think,” and you can tell. She’s good … You know it’s going to be good when he imagines the headline, “Friendless nerd killed by peanut.” It’s local and hilarious.” The Georgia StraightIn addition, the book is set in my neighbourhood, which was hilariously fun. Like seeing someone you know in a movie, and you can't stop giggling. The nerd word of the week is … Stay. — Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2023 Behind all the finance sheets and code bases, the fall of FTX was in a way incredibly childish: a nerd posse running away with a bunch of other people’s money in the stupidest and simplest way possible. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2023 See More Meet Ambrose – a twelve-year-old with a talent for mismatching his clothes, for saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, and for words. In short, he’s a self-described nerd. Making friends is especially hard because he and his overprotective mother, Irene, have had to move so often. When bullies at his latest school almost kill him by deliberately slipping a peanut into his sandwich, Ambrose is philosophical. Irene, however, is not, and decides that Ambrose will take correspondence classes from home. Ambrose is one of the most delightful nerds I have ever read about in fiction. He nearly dies when a trio of bullies slip a peanut into his sandwich, is switched to correspondence school and befriends Cosmos, the recently returned ex-con son of their Greek landlords who live upstairs. With some fun, almost-only-in-y/a middle-rade fiction, scenes, they become allies and form a rather delightful friendship.