Ziegler, Jennifer. Worser. Fiction. Holiday House/ M. Ferguson, 03/2022. 256pp. $17.99. 978-0-8234-4956-9. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 5-7.
William Orser got his odious nickname, Worser, in second grade when a fellow student read the class roster—first initial, last name. It’s a particularly galling moniker for a child devoted to the precision, depth of meaning, and humanity embodied in language and who is the product of two highly literate university professors (one deceased). It’s appropriate that readers meet Worser in the worst possible year—seventh grade—not an easy time for a brainiac curmudgeon with authority issues. In addition, Worser’s equally acerbic mother, and kindred spirit, has suffered a stroke, and their home has been invaded by cheery, colorful, whimsical Aunt Iris and her two fiendish cats. There seems to be nowhere to hide. Seeking quiet refuge Worser discovers an under-patronized bookstore and before he knows it, is using the location to cohost the after-school literary club with his one esteemed peer – Donya, the beautiful, brilliant daughter of his mother’s colleague. But when economic realities threaten to close the bookstore and sever him from Donya, Worser decides to act … and of course makes it worser. Worser’s disastrous run-ins with the inevitable and painful changes of adolescence are hilarious, heartfelt, and profound, allowing readers to groan, cringe, and marvel at his mistakes and learn right along with him how to build a way out of the present and into the future.
Melissa McAvoy, Retired