Jennifer Zeigler begins her book, Worser, with a title that is a play on words. Middle schooler William Orser acquired the nickname long ago when someone noticed that his first initial combined with his last name made “worser.” The name stuck with an additional irritation to him because it is so ungrammatical. His fascination with words and language is central to the book. The bullying he endures is so bad that “even the band kids” pick on him. You would think that would be enough wrong in Worser’s life, but add in his father’s death when he was very young and now his mother’s stroke that has left her almost immobile and unable to communicate. That brings his chipper aunt in to be the adult caregiver. Need I tell you that Worser is not into chipper? A literary club and a used book store lead Worser to hope for real relationships until that, too, hits a snag.
I knew I was going to like this book on page 2 in the last sentence. Worser is an honor roll student, unexpectedly in the principal’s office. He responds to Principal Ludlum’s query as to why Worser hasn’t answered him with, “Because you haven’t asked me any questions. You have used only declarative sentences.”
I enjoyed the book from the beginning to the end where Worser gets a more appropriate nickname. This book has been on my to-be-read list for a while. If I had realized it was going to be this good, it would have been moved to the top much sooner.