From a Printz Honor author, a funny story about fathers, fashion, and faux pas . . .
“Readers—screwups or not—will empathize as Liam, utterly likable despite his faults, learns to be himself.”
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Going’s latest flows easily with smooth, realistic dialogue and reads like a coming-out story for straight guys. This innovative, out-of-the-box approach juxtaposes stereotypes, received values, parental roles and masculinity in a jarringly fun and approachable manner that marks a triumphant left turn for the genre.”
—Kirkus Reviews
King of the Screwups
By K. L. Going
Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everyone loves him. He excels at sports; he knows exactly what clothes to wear; he always ends up with the most beautiful girls in school. But he’s got an uncanny ability to screw up in the very ways that tick his father off the most. The son of two wealthy, successful individuals, Liam can never seem to live up to the expectations of either of his parents, or anyone for that matter.
Thrown out of the house and forced to live with his gay, glam rocker uncle, Liam hopes to find a fresh start and become the son his father always wanted. For his senior year he plans to reinvent himself as a nerd, leaving behind the “screwup” son his father sees him as. But “Aunt” Pete sees him for who he really is, and now Liam must also learn there is a lot more to him than his father will ever see.
King of the Screwups (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2009) is an honest, heart-wrenching story about finding out who you really are and learning to be okay with it, even if you are a screwup.
K. L. Going is the author of Fat Kid Rules the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; Saint Iggy, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and The Garden of Eve. She lives and writes full-time in Glen Spey, New York. Visit www.klgoing.com for more information about the author.
King of the Screwups: A Novel
April 2009 ∑ Ages 12 and up ∑ 304 pages ∑ $17.00 ∑ Fiction ∑ ISBN: 978-0-152-06258-3
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group
222 Berkeley Street ∑ Boston, Massachusetts 02116 ∑ www.hmhbooks.com
Available wherever books are sold or by calling 1-800-225-3362.
