Fat Kid Rules the World

by K.L. Going

Book Overview

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy's dad thinks Curt's a drug addict and Troy's brother thinks Troy's the biggest...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142402087
• ISBN13: 9780142402085
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Yes!!

Troy is obese, suicidal, and terrified. He's bullied for his size by his peers and his little brother. He's too scared to stand up for himself and swallows his words and his stress snacks. He's about to jump in front of train when he meets his manic pixie homeless boy, Curt. Curt is a guitar legend. He's shifty and twitchy and somehow convinces Troy to be the drummer in a band with him. Troy doesn't know how to play the drums or be genuine in front of a crowd or tell Curt no. Troy is desperate for a friend and Curt is starving. For a while we're not sure if his interest in Troy is real. I read this as a teenager and loved it and love it still. Having self-love being packaged as 'everyone is disgusting. see through the bull.' really got me through some rough times. Smash a guitar and love yourself!

Loved it!

I have one word. Amazing.

checkers 1

Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally there is a book that interests me in rock and a hard life. K.L. Going is going to go far with this book. Troy is a troubled fat kid with no friends. Curt is an awesome guitar player and becomes friends with Troy. Troy then learns to play the drums and they form a band(there is twice as much exciting events). This book is awesome. It is very suspenseful, exciting, and it has the talk of a teenager. Like they swear and they smoke but its all part of a real life rock band, and it is a life of a teenager. There better be a sequel. 5 STARS!!!

Fat Kid Rules!

This is an impressive debut novel from author, K. L. Going. Curt and Troy (aka Fat Kid) have formed an unlikely partnership to start a new punk rock band. Curt is already a legend and inexplicably has chosen Troy to be his new drummer. Curt's decision seems odd considering the fact that Troy doesn't know how to play drums and is consumed with self loathing over his obesity. But Curt keeps the faith, even after a memorable debut performance during which Troy vomits profusely over his drum set. But Troy isn't the only one consumed with fear. Curt is homeless and barely surviving living on the street, but he refuses to allow anyone to help him for long. Curt and Troy are both on a journey to learn how to conquer their inner demons. This is a story about faith, family, and conquering the fear that paralyzes you from accomplishing your dreams.

Richie's Picks: FAT KID RULES THE WORLD

"I'm a sweating fat kid standing on the edge of the subway platform staring at the tracks. I'm seventeen years old, weigh 296 pounds, and I'm six foot one. I have a crew cut, yes a crew cut, sallow skin, and the kind of mouth that puckers when I breathe. I'm wearing a shirt that reads MIAMI BEACH--SPRING BREAK 1997, and huge, bland tan pants--the only kind of pants I own. Eight pairs, all tan." As this head-bashing-yet-really-sweet-tale hits its first screeching chord progression, seventeen year-old Troy Billings contemplates jumping in front of an approaching subway train. A once average-sized child, he has eaten his way through years of depression after the death of his mother. Raised by his father, who is a retired military officer, and having experienced unrelenting contempt from a younger brother, who is a popular jock, Troy is certain that everyone is constantly eyeing him and laughing. "First, the train is coming, its single headlight illuminating the dark tracks. I hear its deep rumble and take the fateful step forward. I want to picture myself flying dramatically through the air but realize I wouldn't have the muscle power to launch my body. Instead, I would plummet straight down. Maybe I wouldn't even get my other leg off the platform--my weight would pull me down like an anchor. That's how I see it." But Troy does not jump. Or plummet. His plans are rudely interrupted by the "disembodied voice" of a skinny teenager--Curt MacCrae--who is sitting in the dark behind him. "He looks like a blond ferret. Stringy unwashed hair and huge eyes, jeans that are barely recognizable, stained white T-shirt, huge red overshirt, ratty old sweater...The sneakers, one Converse and one Nike, are both untied and the layers are all partially buttoned even though it's got to be one hundred degrees in the subway. The guy is so filthy I can hardly look at him. I mean, he's caked--looks like an old war victim from some black and white film." Curt, this majorly poor example of good hygiene, is a homeless, locally legendary punk guitarist who disappeared from the high school Troy attends. He is also a walking pharmacy. (He believes in self-inflicted health care.) Curt demands lunch from Troy for saving his life, and then informs the enormous young man that he, Troy, is to be the drummer in Curt's new band--a duo named Rage/Tectonic. That Troy has not played the drums since junior high is irrelevant--at least to Curt. As Troy tries to conceive of a different self-image for himself and tries to overcome his paralyzing fears of what he believes everyone else is thinking of him, Curt's dicey health and his dicey relationship with Troy's dad and brother Dayle kept me alternately holding my breath and laughing so hard that I could barely catch it. Though much of Curt's on-the-fringe lifestyle remains an enigma to both Troy and to us, we do get vivid glimpses of the grunge and the glamor associated with being a teenage punk musician. " 'You are punk rock, T. You just do

Fun with Fat Kid

From the first sentence of "Fat kid" I was hooked. KL Going gives us sights, sounds, smells, and a vivid telling of a tale of two mismatched friends and their adventure to form a band and play a successful gig. The first person telling took me into Troy's (the fat kid) mind and heart and allowed me to peer into his world. Living the good and the bad experiences in the tumultious weeks spent with him. I enjoyed reading this story and found myself laughing out loud often. I think we've all known a Troy in our lives. Here we get to walk with him and get his thoughts on the situations he finds himself in. Including the whirlwind his new friend Curt takes him on. All the while wondering if Curt is for real, after all, who could like the fat kid?We all do Troy, we all do.I recommend this story to anyone interested in a fun uplifting tale about life, music, and personal triumph. 5 stars.

K.L. Rules the World!

I just finishing the book yesterday. It was really good. The characters were developed very well. The descriptions of events in the book were vivid and easy to imagine. I can't wait for my copy of the audio book to arrive. I want to hear how Matthew Lillard sounds reading it. Good choice, by the way, due to his role in SLC Punk. One last thing, K.L. Going Rocks!