Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders

June 23, 2014
Addicted to Code Red Mountain Dew, Gabe Johnson is incensed when he learns that the price of soda at his high school's vending machine has increased dramatically, and that proceeds that were supporting the band are now funding the cheerleading squad. Sixteen and overweight, Gabe is fed up with being a victim. With the help of his grandfather, a health and fitness nut who moved in to help Gabe's father get back on his feet, Gabe struggles through eating well and working out, mourning his favorite foods with touching humor and honesty: "I'll tell you thisâdonuts didn't just disappear. They were on my mind. Like in my mind. So were sandwiches." While plotting to save the band and its down-and-out conductor, Gabe strengthens his "weak leadership bone" and makes new friends who don't call him "Chunk." Framed as a transcript of events recounted by Gabe to his lawyer, Herbach's (Stupid Fast) novel realistically addresses the difficulty of making major life changes and the empowerment of not feeling the need to blend in. Ages 12âup. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

April 15, 2014
When the dance team purloins the band's funding, a fat boy fights back. Gabe, so fat that even his friends and teachers call him Chunk, has two joys: playing in the school band, his sole source of self-worth, and soda from the vending machine that funds the band. Both joys are stolen from him. A sudden, drastic price increase makes his pop habit unaffordable, and the money that should have been funding summer band camp has been diverted to a new dance team for the cheerleaders. Tired of being a joke and pushover, Gabe fights back, organizing a campaign to save band camp. The animosity between band geeks and jocks quickly escalates, unjustly threatening band's existence, leading to a vending-machine heist. Coming into his own as a leader, Gabe also deals with emotional pain, and his former-bodybuilder grandfather coaches his physical improvement. The narration is Gabe's account of the theft, recorded by his lawyer, and this concept fumbles in execution, as Gabe constantly addresses his lawyer, hindering readers' immersion in the story. Nevertheless, the funny, profane text embraces the idea that nobody is perfect--Gabe himself is a jerk, and his discovery of his own jerkiness prevents him from being a one-note victim and provides delightful organic growth. The funding-feud storyline wraps up too easily, but Gabe's character growth will satisfy any appetite. A funny popcorn read with more fiber than empty calories. (Fiction. 13-17)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-This is the account of 16-year-old Gabe Johnson, aka "Chunk," as told to his lawyer. It all started when Gabe decided to investigate the sudden price increase of his favorite soda from the vending machine. Further digging reveals that the vending machine profits, originally used to subsidize the school band, were being funneled to the cheerleaders, leaving the entire band program in financial crisis. Outraged, Gabe convinces his fellow musical geeks to take on the jocks, cheerleaders, and the administration. The conflict eventually escalates, resulting in Gabe's arrest. Everything is wrapped up neatly in the end, with fair punishments meted out, including to the popular students and the school board. On the surface, this novel is your run-of-the-mill "rise of the geeks" story, complete with self-deprecating humor, over-the-top drama, and useless adults. However, the narrative evolves into a coming-of-age tale in which a teen from a broken home, who uses food as a coping mechanism, begins to take control of his life. As Gabe becomes further invested in his cause, harnessing his leadership skills and beginning a brutal exercise regimen with his grandfather-a hilariously blunt former body builder-his life slowly starts to click into place. The protagonist is funny, honest, and an utterly likable narrator; his character growth and the decisions he makes are believable and his refusal to be a victim is refreshing. Give to anyone who has felt like an outsider or just wants a fun, fast-paced book with depth.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

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