About this item
Trouble always seems to find thirteen-year-old Julian Twerski. First it was a bullying incident, and now he's been accused of vandalizing a painting. The principal doesn't want to suspend him again, so instead, he asks Julian to write a 200-word essay on good citizenship. Julian writes 200 no's instead, and so begins an epic struggle between Julian and his principal.
Being falsely accused is bad enough, but outside of school, Julian's dealing with even bigger issues. His friend Quentin has been really sick. How can life be fair when the nicest guy in your group has cancer? Julian's faith and friendships are put to the test . . . and the stakes have never been higher.
Praise for Twerp:
A Bank Street Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Summer Top Ten Kids' Indie Next List Pick
"Reminiscent of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. . . . You don't have to be a twerp to read this book." - New York Post
"A vivid, absorbing story about one boy's misadventure, heartache, and hope for himself." - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me
"[Fans of] Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid who have matured beyond the scope and gravity of that series will find a kindred spirit in Julian." - School Library Journal
"Reminiscent of movies like The Sandlot. . . . Well-written and funny." - The Advocate
"Alternately poignant and comical. . . . A thought-provoking exploration of bullying, personal integrity and self-acceptance." - Kirkus Reviews
"Funny, poignant, and an effective commentary on bullying and its consequences." - The Horn Book Magazine
About the Author
Mark Goldblatt is a novelist, columnist and book reviewer as well as a college professor at Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York.
His controversial first novel, Africa Speaks, a satire of black urban culture, was published in 2002 by The Permanent Press. His second novel, Sloth, a comedic take on postmodernism, was published in June 2010 by Greenpoint Press.
Goldblatt is perhaps best known as a political commentator. He has written hundreds of opinion pieces for a combination of the New York Post, the New York Times, USA Today, the Daily News, Newsday, National Review Online and the American Spectator Online. He has been a guest on the Catherine Crier Show on Court TV and done dozens of radio interviews for stations across the country and in England. His integrity has been called into question by the Village Voice - which should count for something.
Goldblatt's book reviews have appeared in The Common Review, Commentary, Reason Magazine, and the Webzine Ducts. His academic articles have appeared in Philosophy Now, Academic Questions, Sewanee Theological Review, English Renaissance Prose, Issues in Developmental Education 1999, the Encyclopedia of Tudor England and the Dictionary of Literary Biography.
