Fat Kid Rules the World, K.L. Going

Book Review by Lior
Grade Eight English
Bigelow Middle School, MA

The world is filled with skinny and fat people. A lot of the times, fat people are rich business owners and skinny people are just your everyday people. Right? No!! Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going is the perfect example.

Troy weighs 296 pounds. He has no friends. This changes in one second. One second he is thinking how his life sucks, the next second he can not wait for his next punk rock gig. After the homeless, legendary punk guitarist Curt saves Troy’s life, Troy sees another point of view of life. Curt tries to teach Troy to play drums so they can have an awesome band.

However, life is not perfect yet. Being homeless, Curt often has to steel to survive. When he steels too many pills and eats them all, he finds himself in a hospital band fighting for his life. Although Troy wants to stick with Curt, Troy’s dad tries to tear the two friends apart. Can their friendship survive it and more importantly, will Curt live?

If you like reading about how characters develop and change through a story, then this is the perfect book. It is funny, exciting and every page leaves you hanging until you read the next. Here is an example of the author’s writing during a climactic point when Curt is in the hospital:

“I just wondered where you got all those bruises?” Troy asked.

Curt lets out a loud laugh. Too loud.

“What are you, the CIA, or something? You think you’ve got to know everything about my life?”

Curt laughs again, but he doesn’t really think it’s funny. Then he snaps. “Well, fuck off.”

He’s never told me to fuck off before. Even when he wqas pissed during practice he never meant it. But this time I think he means it. I can tell by the set of his eyes. I have two options. I can ignore everything about his life he doesn’t want me to see or I can fuck off.”

Fat Kid Rules the World, The Verdict

K.L. Going makes a great example of teen’s life in this great book. Every page will leave the reader thinking of just how more anyone can change.

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