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A Work in Progress
Author
Illustrator
Jarrett Lerner
Publication Date
May 02, 2023
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction / 6th − 8th
Language
English
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Description
A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration.
Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides...in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn't the only feeling that dominates Will's life. He's also got a crush on a girl named Jules who knows he doesn't have a chance with--string beans only date string beans--but he can't help wondering what if?
Will's best shot at attracting Jules's attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will's shame begins to morph into self-loathing.
As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.
Publication date
May 02, 2023
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665905152
Publisher
Aladdin Paperbacks
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Kirkus
A successful marriage of art and poetry.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
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. (May)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission. Jarrett Lerner
Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner is the award-winning creator of the EngiNerds series of Middle Grade novels, the Geeger the Robot series of early chapter books, the activity books Give This Book a Title and Give This Book a Cover, The Hunger Heroes series of graphic novel chapter books, the Nat the Cat series of early readers (the first of which was named an ALSC/ALA 2024 Notable Book), the Scare School Diaries series of highly illustrated chapter books, and the My Mad Scientist Mom series of illustrated chapter books. Jarrett is also the creator of the illustrated novel in verse A Work in Progress, which received multiple starred reviews, was a Kids’ Indie Next List pick, and was selected for the 2023 Global Read Aloud. The book also appeared on the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2023 list, the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best 2023 list, and was named an Audible Best Book of 2023. The book has also, more recently, been nominated for several 2024 state awards and was given a 2024 Notable Children’s Book Award by NCTE’s Children’s Literature Assembly. All of Jarrett’s books are published by Simon & Schuster. In addition to writing, drawing, and visiting schools and libraries across the country, Jarrett co-founded and co-organizes the KidsNeedBooks and KidsNeedMentors projects, and regularly spearheads fundraisers for various reading- and book-related causes. He is also the founder and operator of Jarrett Lerner’s Creator Club. He can be found at jarrettlerner.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @Jarrett_Lerner. He lives with his wife and daughters in Massachusetts.
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