Word Nerd

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Overall: Another charming and heartwarming book from Nielsen. I adored the characters, their dynamic, and all the Scrabble. This story was about the importance of standing up for yourself, being a better person, finding your “people”, and allowing for second chances. It was wonderfully told and warmed my heart. In den letzten paar Jahren habe ich einige Jugendbücher von Susin Nielsen gelesen, und sie waren alle richtig gut. Die Autorin schafft es immer noch, tolle Jugendbücher zu schreiben. Auch wenn sie selbst schon fast 60 ist und bereits seit den 80ern in diesem Genre schreibt, als sie für die kanadische TV-Serie "Degrassi Junior High" Drehbücher schrieb. Diese Serie hab ich damals sehr gern geschaut (sie kam auf einem der dritten ARD-Programme), und auch dort bestand die Schülerschaft aus vielen verschiedenen speziellen Charaktern. Genau diese porträtiert Nielsen nun auch in ihren Büchern In this brilliantly observed novel, author Susin Nielsen transports the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble as seen from the honest yet funny viewpoint of a boy who’s searching for acceptance and for a place to call home. A wry and wise novel about a most unlikely friendship between two Scrabble freaks – a nerdy kid with a peanut allergy and a tough but loveable ex-con – is one of the most delightful reading experiences of the year. Susin Nielsen writes with an understated, mordant wit that draws the reader into the quirky story right from the start.” Phyllis Simon, Vancouver Kidsbooks Vancouver’s Susin Nielsen writes for the TV series “Robson Arms” and “Alice, I Think,” and you can tell. She’s good … You know it’s going to be good when he imagines the headline, “Friendless nerd killed by peanut.” It’s local and hilarious.” The Georgia Straight

His struggles at school and the bullying he endured were heartbreaking. Though I understood his mother’s choices, I did find her to be a bit over-the-top overprotective. As the story played out, I do think I understood her actions came from a place of fear, pain, and love, and were also a result of some of her own unresolved personal issues. Hetgeen wat ik storend vond in dit boek was de seksuele ontwikkeling van Ambrose, naar mijn idee hoefde dit niet eens in het boek verwerkt te worden. Alone in the evenings when Irene goes to work, Ambrose pesters Cosmo, the twenty-five-year-old son of the Greek landlords who live upstairs. Cosmo has just been released from jail for breaking and entering to support a drug habit. Quite by accident, Ambrose discovers that they share a love of Scrabble and coerces Cosmo into taking him to the West Side Scrabble Club, where Cosmo falls for Amanda, the club director. Posing as Ambrose’s Big Brother to impress her, Cosmo is motivated to take Ambrose to the weekly meetings and to give him lessons in self-defense. Cosmo, Amanda, and Ambrose soon form an unlikely alliance and, for the first time in his life, Ambrose blossoms. The characters at the Scrabble Club come to embrace Ambrose for who he is and for their shared love of words. There’s only one Irene has no idea what Ambrose is up to. Ambrose had moved many times in his short life, and therefore, struggled with fitting in. Then the universe sent him a sign in the form of a flyer for Scrabble club. It was there that Ambrose found his people and a place to belong. In addition, the book is set in my neighbourhood, which was hilariously fun. Like seeing someone you know in a movie, and you can't stop giggling.

There are many great voices in YA fiction, but Susin Nielsen manages to give us TWO in the same book. I defy you not to fall in love with this book.' Phil Earle

One of the best YA books I’ve read. It pulled me from the depths of a month-long reading slump... It made me excited to read again’ Wondrous Reads This is a tender, often funny story with some really interesting characters. It will appeal to word nerds, but even more to anyone who has ever longed for acceptance or had to fight unreasonable parental restrictions' School Library Journal, starred review Het boek leest als een trein, het verhaal is origineel en leuk uitgewerkt. Een boek met het onderwerp scrabble op de voorgrond ben ik nog nooit tegengekomen en ook de hoofdstuktitels zijn erg passend. Ambroise is a 12 year old with many issues - fatherless, severe peanut allergy, and basically socially awkward. His mother moves them around a lot but the story takes place in Vancouver where they are renting a basement from a nice Greek couple. This is where the fun starts. Ambroise befriends their recently paroled son and they end up joining a scrabble club. Of course, mom does not know so there is a lot of sneaking around. Ambroise learns a lot about himself through this new friendship as well as through the scrabble club. I loved We Are All Made of Molecules, it's a really special little book with a huge heart and one of the most enjoyable YA books I've read in some time' Melissa Cox, WaterstonesSusin Nielsen’s depiction of grief was pitch perfect. A sweet, funny, touching and incredibly important book’

There's so much to love about this story, but what grabbed me most is the humour. Who do I write to to join the Susin Nielsen fan club?' -- Christopher Paul Curtis Twelve-year-old Ambrose Bukowski … is the titular nerd and it’s in his delightful, disarming voice that “Word Nerd” unfolds … This (is a) funny, wry tale, a tale that involves a lot of Scrabble, the reformation of an ex-con druggie and the coming-into-himself of a boy. And there’s a bit of love, too, actually.”

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Ambrose Bukowski is a twelve-year-old with a talent for mismatching his clothes, for saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, and for words. In short, he's a self-described nerd. Making friends is especially hard because he and his overprotective mother, Irene, have had to move so often. And when bullies at his latest school almost kill him by deliberately slipping a peanut into his sandwich to set off his allergy, it's his mother who has the extreme reaction. From now on, Ambrose has to be home-schooled. Then Ambrose strikes up an unlikely friendship with the landlord's son, Cosmo, an ex-con who's been in prison. They have nothing in common except for Scrabble. But a small deception grows out of control when Ambrose convinces a reluctant Cosmo to take him to a Scrabble club. Could this spell disaster for Ambrose? About This Edition ISBN: This book is pretty good. It is a cute story of an ex con and a twelve (and 3/4) year old becoming friends through Scrabble. Their friendships have some ups and downs, but in the end, it turns put okay. The nerd word of the week is … Stay. — Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2023 Behind all the finance sheets and code bases, the fall of FTX was in a way incredibly childish: a nerd posse running away with a bunch of other people’s money in the stupidest and simplest way possible. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2023 See More Auch "Peanuts..." beginnt in einem Schul-Setting, das jedoch abrupt endet als Ambrosius - der unter einer starken Erdnussallergie leidet - eben genau so eine in sein Pausenbrot geschmuggelt bekommt von seinen blöden Mitschülern, die ihn für ein leichtes Mobbingopfer halten. Leider ist Ambrosius wirklich stark allergisch, überlebt den Vorfall aber und wird nun nur noch zu Hause unterrichtet. Heutzutage, nach Corona, für uns alle gar nicht mehr so ungewöhnlich. Das Buch ist allerdings schon von 2008, aber auch da war es in Nordamerika durchaus üblich. Ambrosius findet die soziale Abschottung aber gar nicht gut. Und findet sich schon bald heimlich neue Freunde. Readers who enjoy Word Nerd will also like A Seven Letter Word by Kim Slater, which also uses Scrabble as a hook for a moving story about struggling young people, while Stacey Matson writes satisfying, heart-warming stories about kids overcoming problems. ~ Andrea Reece

In creating Ambrose Bukowski, Susin Nielsen has done a fine job in bringing to life a first-class nerd whose very limitations make him a most extraordinary person …” Canadian Children’s Book NewsI don't usually enjoy realistic YA, but I found this utterly charming. It was the voice, frankly. I know this kid. I've BEEN this kid. Socially awkward, lying to spare mom's feelings, thinking my too-small purple pants are awesome. Funny, and occasionally lightly mortifying. This book made me feel so so happy. It's a very character-driven story, and the author really get's into each and every character, which makes you fall in love with every single one of them. I loved Ambrose's quirks, the way Cosmo treated him and the way the adults were portrayed. The story was told in a very wonderful way, and I loved to see the character- and relationship-development. There is also quite a lot of talk about food in this book, which was wonderful and made me very hungry.