ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Andy Zansky weighs 307 pounds and lusts after the new girl at school, Korean American April, who wears bright blue contacts. He's brilliant, impatient with his well-intentioned but controlling mother, and depressed about his father's impending move from suburban Boston to New York. Then he suddenly gets courted to join the football team and discovers he might have a ticket into the popular clique at school. Zadoff does an excellent job of building the emotional tension and developing the plot as Andy loses his old friends, thinks he's gained new ones, becomes disillusioned in wholly new ways, grows from the experience (including, symbolically, getting even larger and becoming unable to fit into the desk in his AP History class), and eventually realizes how to get on with his life in ways he d the reader n find honest. Humor, credible teenage insights, and relationships that are both complex and accessible make this a good choice for readers of Ellen Wittlinger, Janette Rallison, and other writers who investigate the busy dynamics of a bright kid's emotional maturation.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Three-hundred-pound high school outcast Andrew Zansky is recruited to play football. The sudden rise to popularity is intoxicating, but he gradually realizes that his teammates (and coach) had ulterior motives in recruiting him. Zadoff puts a fresh spin on the high school clique story. The book features a winning combination of humor, romance, and sports.

Kirkus Reviews

Warm, witty prose chronicles a fat teenager finding himself while the text sacrifices other demographic groups. Fifteen-year-old Andy, at 306 pounds, justifiably resents that people "don't see Andrew. They see big." Upset by the divorce of his cold dad and smothering mom, Andy glumly pursues Model UN with geek pal Eytan. Then a school football star rescues Andy from a beating and brings him to football tryouts. Andy's trajectory from social nobody to popular football player is fast and deceptive. The first-person, present-tense narration capably conveys Andy's pattern of thinking only in the present. The funniest moments are the quirkiest, as when Andy and an opposing player find themselves "talking postwar poets" on the field during the game. Unfortunately, Zadoff bizarrely dehumanizes Asian girls. Classmate Nancy Yee is "not really a girl. More of a stick figure with an accent," Andy calls April, his Korean-American crush, "The Girl of My Dreams: Asian Edition," and Eytan categorizes that crush as "yellow fever," with no textual questioning of the term. Is it worth humanizing one oft-slammed group—fat teens—at another group's expense? (Fiction. YA)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Readers who wade through a series of painful scenes early on in Zadoff's debut YA novel are in for a treat. Andy Zansky is the (second) fattest kid in school and pays dearly for it on a daily basis (on the first day of sophomore year, he discovers he may not fit into the new desks). Then, out of nowhere, popular football star O. Douglas takes a liking to Andy, who goes out for football and makes the varsity team. Out goes self-deprecating Andy (for the most part), making room for a more confident, funny and likable Andy. Becoming popular, albeit gradually, doesn't cure all of Andy's woes—both football and popularity come with quite a few complications—nor does it magically empower him to lose the weight. But watching Andy's transformation, his three steps forward and one step back rhythm, is both entertaining and moving (“That's the thing about being fat,” he reflects. “People can't see the real you, so you have to work really hard to show them”). Boy makeover books are rare, and this one is a gem. Ages 12–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 8-10 Andy, an overweight high school sophomore, is bullied by his peers, overprotected by his mother, and ignored by his type-A, absent father. As the school year begins, his friend Eytan has plans for the pair to shine as representatives of Estonia at the model UN meetings, but Andy has his eye on new girl April. When he is recruited as center for the football team, everything changes. For the first time, he experiences parties, girlsincluding Apriland popularity. Initially bogged down by the teen's self-deprecating comments and jokes, the plot begins to develop as Andy describes his new experiences with humor and wit. He is realistic as he shovels food into his mouth to assuage pain and embarrassment, struggles to maintain his friendship with Eytan after abandoning Estonia, and allows himself to be manipulated by teammates. But the author does not lead Andy down the expected path. When forced to make a decision, his choice is unique and the conclusion satisfying. Although these characters lack the intensity of Eric and Sarah in Chris Crutcher's Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (HarperCollins, 1993), many readers will relate to Andy, his desire to be popular, and his insecurities. The possibly offensive locker room language is typical and lends credibility. More importantly, Andy's character is thoughtful and refreshing. Sue Lloyd, Franklin High School, Livonia, MI

Voice of Youth Advocates

High school is never easy, especially when you are a size 48 and can barely fit into the desks. Add a family that is on the verge of imploding, a hot new girl who does not know you exist, and a caterer mother who continually fills the home with mini-delights yet worries over your weight, and the result is a clear picture of the life of Andy Zansky. Dissatisfied with his nonexistent love life and lack of popularity and frustrated with his weight, Andy decides on a whim to trade Model UN for football. But although his newfound talent brings new friends and status, he begins to question his actions. Andy struggles with the politics of high school and dares to ask what popularity really means if it comes at such a high price. Zadoff Æs novel chronicles the albatross of adolescence with stunning accuracy. In a high school where popularity and looks determine your worth and experience, Andy navigates his world with humor. The book will have readers laughing out loud one moment and sympathizing with him another, as he narrates his story with an honesty and earnestness so real that one might forget he is a fictional character. Addressing issues of divorce, first love, body image, friendship, the desire to belong, and what it means to be true to oneÆs self, this book is an exceptional read with its vivid characters and compelling storytelling. It is a must-read for adolescents and adults alike.ùCourtney Huse Wika.