Jimmy the Geek

Book excerpt: Being a teenager is never easy. There are those turbulent hormones, the pressure to fit in, societal expectations, and, of course, never enough sleep. Add all of that to a new friend who threatens to overwhelm the tenuous balance. Brian Landis and his friends Harry, Kathryn, and Melinda are about to become sophomores at Afton High School when Jimmy Rosen and his family move to town from Ohio. Jimmy is really skinny. Hes a sickly kid who cant play sports like the other students. Jimmy likes playing cards and games and listening to classical music. Hes funny, hes witty, and he knows how to say things that make people laugh. Harry, Brian, and the gang befriend Jimmy but there are others at the high school who cant accept Jimmy. Theres a lot of bullying and meanness, and by the end of the year, things just explode. Jimmy the Geek, a novel for teens, calls attention to the subjects of discrimination and its effects on kids. It shares a story of friendships, loyalty, betrayal, homophobia, bullying, and bigotry.