Twerp

I don't usually review children's books, but when I read the premise of Twerp I decided to break the rules.

The story is told from the perspective of Julian Twerski, a twelve-year-old boy living in New York in 1969. After an undisclosed incident involving another boy named Danley Dimmel, Julian is suspended from school and asked by his English teacher to write about the events leading up to this incident. What follows is a humorous, honest and touching account of a sixth grade boy trying to get to grips with that awkward space between childhood and adulthood.

I absolutely loved reading Twerp. I am a thirty something mother who grew up in South Africa, but when I read Twerp I was a twelve year old from Queens in the 60's. Julian's voice seemed so authentic I had to remind myself it was written by a New York Times columnist in his fifties.

The thing I probably liked most about this book is all the positive messages it sends to the kids who will read it. It teaches tolerance and has very strong anti-bullying messages without being preachy. The characters are flawed; they make mistakes, but in the end they own up to these mistakes and accept the consequences of their actions. A lot of adults could learn from this book.

Twerp covers an array of pre-teen experiences and emotions. From first love to first betrayal. But the main emphasis always is on friendship and loyalty. It is a warm and funny read, bursting with pre-adolescent mischief but remains innocent at heart. I hope my son will read this book one day.

Kids will love the antics of the characters so much they won't even realize they are being taught valuable moral lessons. Well done Mark Goldblatt!

I'd actually give this more of a 3.5, but since half stars aren't allowed I'll upgrade this to 4. Julian(the main character) has a great voice, and this is a decent coming of age story. The author wrote from a first person P.O.V. about being an average kid who sometimes makes bad decisions and mistakes. Also didn't feel as if the author was writing this as he might imagine or remember how a gifted 12 year old might, instead it did feel as if maybe Julian's character became “real and he was telling us about his little slice of life. I'm usually a sucker for coming of age stories and feel this one was pretty well done. I would definitely recommend this to children ages 10-14 who were looking for a decent realistic fiction book.