XL

Gr 9 Up—Will Daughtry is under five feet tall and very bitter about it. His height infiltrates his every thought and is obviously why he's never had a girlfriend. At least his family is supportive, especially stepbrother Drew, who is over six feet tall and a local basketball star. Hanging out with Drew and their best friend Monica, a book-obsessed and talented surfer with whom Will has been secretly in love forever, is the only break Will gets from constantly thinking about his stature. When Will finally musters the nerve to share his feelings with Monica, somehow she and Drew end up together and their little trio becomes weird. Then everything gets even odder when Will starts growing. And keeps growing—until everyone is worried there is something physically wrong with him and he has to regularly go to the hospital to be tested. Brown gives readers so much to connect to and relate. Obsessing about physical attributes, hiding romantic feelings, and bubbling envy and anger are portrayed realistically. Characters are sincere, especially in their introspective frustrations about feeling small (physically and metaphorically) and in realizing that so many things are out of their control.