2017-18 Book Selection (Young Adult)

Winger
by Andrew Smithggfreads-book-2018-yal.jpg

About the Book

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

Featured Reviews:

About the Author

Andrew Smith is the award-winning author of several Young Adult novels, including the critically acclaimed Grasshopper Jungle (2015 Michael L. Printz Honor, 2014 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Carnegie Medal Longlist) and Winger. He is a native-born Californian who spent most of his formative years traveling the world. His university studies focused on Political Science, Journalism, and Literature. He has published numerous short stories and articles. The Alex Crow, a starred novel by KirkusPublishers Weekly, and Booklist, is his ninth novel. He lives in Southern California. To learn more about Smith and his work visit http://www.authorandrewsmith.com/.

Andrew Smith’s Visit to GGF

Andrew Smith will participate in the 3rd Annual Waging WAR for Literacy Conference, a Writing and Reading Conference for Teens, which will take place March 24, 2018. To learn more, follow them on Facebook or Twitter (their website is being rebuilt, but will be released soon)!