Description

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From Governor General's Literary Award—winning author Susin Nielsen comes a funny and heartfelt story about learning how to rise above your most embarrassing moment with humor, best friends and a killer triangle solo. Now in paperback!

We all have moments that define us. For the comically clueless Wilbur, his moment happened on the first day of middle school, when someone shared his private letter with the entire student body. It revealed some of Wilbur's innermost embarrassing thoughts that no one else should ever know.

Now it's the start of ninth grade and Wilbur hasn't been able to escape that major humiliation. His good friend Alex stuck by him, but Alex doesn't have as much time since he started dating Fabrizio. Luckily, Wil can confide in his best friend: his elderly neighbor Sal. Also, Wil's in the school band, where he plays the triangle. They're doing an exchange program with students from Paris, and Wilbur's billet, Charlie, a tall, chic young woman who plays the ukulele and burps with abandon, captures his heart. Charlie likes him, but only as a friend. So Alex, Fabrizio and Sal host a Queer Eye-style intervention to get Wil in shape and to build his confidence so he can impress Charlie when their band visits Paris, and just maybe replace humiliation with true romance in the City of Love.

About the Author

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SUSIN NIELSEN got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, she has written for many Canadian TV series. Nielsen is currently the showrunner on the TV series Family Law. Nielsen's first two young adult novels, Word Nerd and Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, won critical acclaim and multiple young readers' choice awards. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen won the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award and the Canadian Library Association's Children's Book of the Year. We Are All Made of Molecules was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and nominated for the Canadian Library Association's Children's Book of the Year. Optimists Die First has received four starred reviews. Her most recent novel, No Fixed Address, won the Red Maple Award, the Violet Downey Book Award and the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In 2019, Nielsen received the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two extremely destructive cats. Visit her at susinnielsen.com; Susin Nielsen, Author on Facebook; and @susinnielsen on Twitter.

Praise For…

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One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2021 — Starred Pick
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Favourite Book of the Year (2021)

“Nielsen presents a realistic teen experience with raw emotions. A heartwarming addition for collections looking for titles with fewer than 200 pages.” —School Library Journal

“Written in first person, the novel is humorous and well-paced with a truly great, heartwarming ending. Highly Recommended.” —CM Reviews

“. . . Worthy of reading by thoughtful and mature teens and pre-teens.” —Winnipeg Free Press