Word Nerd by Susan Nielsen

Nielsen, Susan. Word Nerd. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2008.

My Review

What do you get if you mix a thug with a nerd? A lot of deception, and some romance too! Ambrose has had enough of solitude. After three school bullies slip a peanut into his sandwich (he has a deathly allergy), he is homeschooled by his overprotective mother. Before long, Ambrose is sick of solitude. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with Cosmo, the ex-convict son of Ambrose's landlady, which he hides from his mother. When Cosmo falls in love with the Amanda, the director of the Scrabble Club, the deceptions stack up quickly against Ambrose. Will Ambrose ever be able to face his mother with the truth?

Word Nerd  was nominated for the 2010 Red Maple Forest of Reading Award from the Ontario Library Association. Nielsen is creative and quick-witted, and her knowledge of Scrabble and Scrabble clubs is impressive. From the "peanut-free" cover to Ambrose's final confrontation with his mother, this book is engaging and FUNNY. Readers can really see Ambrose develop and mature throughout the novel.

My Notes
I loved the way Susan Nielsen plays with words. Throughout the novel, Ambrose dissects long words and rearranges the letters to form new ones.