A Work in Progress

March 1, 2023
Will Chambers wrestles with fat stigma, self-loathing, disordered eating, and the ultimate desire to be accepted. Lerner's illustrated verse novel opens on Will's fourth grade year. It's the first time the word fat is hurled at him as an insult, the first time he understands that the rest of the world sees something wrong with his body. Three years later, shame-filled Will is eating less and less. It's Markus, his kind, cool skateboarder friend, who helps Will when he eventually breaks and who is there as he works on piecing himself back together. Lerner uses the format to great effect, as the staccato lines of broken verse are well matched to Will's honest, disjointed inner thoughts. The setup makes for an effective portrayal of Will's painful mental battles. The black-and-white illustrations mostly depict Markus; Will's crush, Jules, a skinny girl; and a prickly, monsterlike version of how Will sees himself. Peppered throughout are balls of black scribbles representing Will's anxiety, fears, and the anger he directs at himself. The diary feel adds to readers' understanding of Will. Lerner writes very affecting scenes that will resonate with some readers and provide insight for others, shedding powerful light on boys' body image struggles. All characters appear White. A successful marriage of art and poetry. (Verse fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from March 20, 2023
Using succinct and personal-feeling verse, Lerner (the Nat the Cat series) crafts an empathetic illustrated novel about one boy’s experience with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and stigma. Ever since an incident three years ago in which a bully maliciously called him fat in a crowded hallway (“That word.// He spat it at me/ like it was the worst one/ he knew”), middle schooler Will Chambers has felt self-conscious in his body, wearing baggy clothes and isolating himself from his friends. He pretends everything is fine, even as he begins eating less. But when new friend Markus questions Will about why he never brings anything for lunch, and Will overhears hurtful gossip about his crush on a skinny classmate, Will moves further into a cycle of bingeing and restricting food. Lerner’s sketch-like illustrations, presented as Will’s own diary doodles, render grayscale caricatures of Will’s classmates, while his own self-portrait, depicted via stark black scribbles, slowly morphs into a monstrous version of himself that fills the page. Employing frenetic pacing and disjointed verse that conveys Will’s growing anxiety and internalized shame, Lerner cultivates a perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance. Most characters’ skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 8–12.

September 29, 2023

Gr 4-8-Nothing has been the same for seventh grader Will Chambers since the day three years ago when a bully cruelly called him fat: "But up until that point/ .../ I hadn't known/ it was the thing/ about me/ that mattered most / to the rest / of the world. I hadn't known/ that it made everyone/ who saw me/ feel uncomfortable/ or filled them/ with disgust." Since then, Will has isolated himself and internalized the ugliness thrown at him. His journal-entries-in-verse, through which his story is told, detail his negative self-image and feelings of shame and anxiety. As Will navigates middle school, including a crush on a classmate named Jules and a spark of friendship with a skateboarder named Markus, his struggles with body dysmorphia and disordered eating intensify. This is reflected not only in his increasingly painful verse entries, but in the grayscale doodles that accompany them. At times, Will depicts himself as a monster, and dark knots of scribbles grow larger throughout the story, eventually swallowing several pages. The combination of art and verse is affecting and, at times, heartbreaking. Readers are sure to empathize with or relate to Will's journey, which ultimately ends on a hopeful note. Central characters appear white in the novel's illustrations. VERDICT An honest and sensitive exploration of body image and self-acceptance. Recommended.-Lauren Strohecker

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