A Work in Progress

Written and illustrated by Jarrett Lerner

A boy battles self-image and self-acceptance in a world of thin peers.

4.3 Goodreads · 2,889 ratings

368 pages· 15,410 words· Est. 2 hour read· ~580L

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Will hides in oversized clothes, battling shame and a crush on Jules. Desperate to change, he faces slow progress and self-loathing. Meeting Markus, a skateboarder, might just change his perspective. Can Will embrace his evolving self and find acceptance?

From the publisher

A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant and “perceptive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration. Will is the only round kid in a school full of thin ones. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who he knows he doesn’t have a chance with, because of his size–but he can’t help wondering what if? Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing. As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.

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