Charlie is handed a crappy senior year. Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner. What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord of the Rings freak his school has ever seen. He also can’t figure out whether Charlotte VanderKleaton, the beautiful strawberry lip-glossed new girl, likes him the way he likes her. Oh, and then there’s his mom. She’s disappeared—again—and his dad won’t talk about it.
Somewhere between the madness, Charlie can at least find comfort in his one and only talent that just might get him out of this life-sucking place. But will he be able to hold his head above water in the meantime?
“Peppered with sardonic humor, debut author Sanchez’s confessional-style prose conveys Charlie’s distress and confusion as his family life disintegrates . . . Sanchez explores the psychological underpinnings of eating disorders while creating a complete character in the closet-brilliant but perennially tongue-tied Charlie.” – Publishers Weekly
“Charlie is one of those antiheroes with whom readers will fall in love. Charlie has to deal with several issues, including his mother’s mental illness and a developing eating disorder, and he does so poignantly and with humor and candor. Readers will enjoy his tale and might be reminded of John Green’s An Abundance Of Katherines (Dutton, 2006/Voya October 2006). Make no mistake, however, Sanchez has crafted a unique and moving story that will connect with teens.” Reviewer: Victoria Vogel – VOYA magazine