From the author of the acclaimed We Are All Made of Molecules . Tragedy and comedy intertwine in this award-winning novel about a boy confronting his painful past. Winner of the UKLA Book Award (12-16 category)
Thirteen-year-old wrestling fanatic Henry used to have a normal life. He lives off a diet of pizza, whilst hiding from the comically overbearing neighbours and avoiding being an obvious target for bullies at his new school.
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Summary
From the author of the acclaimed We Are All Made of Molecules . Tragedy and comedy intertwine in this award-winning novel about a boy confronting his painful past. Winner of the UKLA Book Award (12-16 category)
Thirteen-year-old wrestling fanatic Henry used to have a normal life. He lives off a diet of pizza, whilst hiding from the comically overbearing neighbours and avoiding being an obvious target for bullies at his new school.
Description
Thirteen-year-old wrestling fanatic Henry used to have a normal life. Now, his therapist wants him to keep a journal so he can express his feelings about what happened.
Henry has moved with his dad to a new city, where nobody knows their name. He lives off a diet of pizza, whilst hiding from the comically overbearing neighbours and avoiding being an obvious target for bullies at his new school. But then he meets Farley and Alberta, social misfits who refuse to let him be alone. And bit by bit, the past begins to come out.
Heartbreaking, surprising and laugh-out-loud funny, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen is about the things that remain after your life has fallen to pieces.
Awards
Winner of UKLA Book Award 2018 (UK)
Critic Reviews
"Both disarming and endearing. A realistic, poignant portrait of one teen who overcomes nearly unbearable feelings of grief and guilt." Kirkus
"Nielsen’s balance of humor and pathos is finely honed, making this a surprisingly breezy read for so heavy a topic" -- Daniel Kraus Booklist
"Nielsen writes about the heaviest subjects with the lightest of touches... the balance between tragedy and humour is so carefully managed, that this is a truly uplifting, even happy read." -- Andrea Reece Lovereading4Kids
"Gloriously character driven... poignant and witty" The Bookbag
"The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen is the perfect mix between funny and sad... A beautiful story." Snuggling on the Sofa blog
About the Author
Susin Nielsen got her start writing for popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. Since then, she's written for many Canadian TV shows and her young adult novels have received considerable critical acclaim. Word Nerd and My Messed-Up Life won multiple Young Readers' Choice Awards. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen won the UKLA Award, the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association's Children's Book of the Year and many Young Readers' Choice Awards, while We Are All Made of Molecules was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Susin lives in Vancouver with her family and two extremely destructive cats.
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