In den letzten paar Jahren habe ich einige Jugendbücher von Susin Nielsen gelesen, und sie waren alle richtig gut. Die Autorin schafft es immer noch, tolle Jugendbücher zu schreiben. Auch wenn sie selbst schon fast 60 ist und bereits seit den 80ern in diesem Genre schreibt, als sie für die kanadische TV-Serie "Degrassi Junior High" Drehbücher schrieb. Diese Serie hab ich damals sehr gern geschaut (sie kam auf einem der dritten ARD-Programme), und auch dort bestand die Schülerschaft aus vielen verschiedenen speziellen Charaktern. Genau diese porträtiert Nielsen nun auch in ihren Büchern

Alone in the evenings when Irene goes to work, Ambrose pesters Cosmo, the twenty-five-year-old son of the Greek landlords who live upstairs. Cosmo has just been released from jail for breaking and entering to support a drug habit. Quite by accident, Ambrose discovers that they share a love of Scrabble and coerces Cosmo into taking him to the West Side Scrabble Club, where Cosmo falls for Amanda, the club director. Posing as Ambrose’s Big Brother to impress her, Cosmo is motivated to take Ambrose to the weekly meetings and to give him lessons in self-defense. Cosmo, Amanda, and Ambrose soon form an unlikely alliance and, for the first time in his life, Ambrose blossoms. The characters at the Scrabble Club come to embrace Ambrose for who he is and for their shared love of words. There’s only one Irene has no idea what Ambrose is up to. His struggles at school and the bullying he endured were heartbreaking. Though I understood his mother’s choices, I did find her to be a bit over-the-top overprotective. As the story played out, I do think I understood her actions came from a place of fear, pain, and love, and were also a result of some of her own unresolved personal issues. Word Nerd is possibly the most heart-warming story I've read this year, and made me remember why I loved middle-grade books in the first place.Het boek leest als een trein, het verhaal is origineel en leuk uitgewerkt. Een boek met het onderwerp scrabble op de voorgrond ben ik nog nooit tegengekomen en ook de hoofdstuktitels zijn erg passend. This is a tender, often funny story with some really interesting characters. It will appeal to word nerds, but even more to anyone who has ever longed for acceptance or had to fight unreasonable parental restrictions.” School Library Journal, Starred Review Readers who enjoy Word Nerd will also like A Seven Letter Word by Kim Slater, which also uses Scrabble as a hook for a moving story about struggling young people, while Stacey Matson writes satisfying, heart-warming stories about kids overcoming problems. ~ Andrea Reece Vancouver’s Susin Nielsen writes for the TV series “Robson Arms” and “Alice, I Think,” and you can tell. She’s good … You know it’s going to be good when he imagines the headline, “Friendless nerd killed by peanut.” It’s local and hilarious.” The Georgia Straight

Irresistible characters, this is set to become one of the most popular books of the year’ Lovereading This is a tender, often funny story with some really interesting characters. It will appeal to word nerds, but even more to anyone who has ever longed for acceptance or had to fight unreasonable parental restrictions' School Library Journal, starred review

A wry and wise novel about a most unlikely friendship between two Scrabble freaks – a nerdy kid with a peanut allergy and a tough but loveable ex-con – is one of the most delightful reading experiences of the year. Susin Nielsen writes with an understated, mordant wit that draws the reader into the quirky story right from the start.” Phyllis Simon, Vancouver Kidsbooks Auch "Peanuts..." beginnt in einem Schul-Setting, das jedoch abrupt endet als Ambrosius - der unter einer starken Erdnussallergie leidet - eben genau so eine in sein Pausenbrot geschmuggelt bekommt von seinen blöden Mitschülern, die ihn für ein leichtes Mobbingopfer halten. Leider ist Ambrosius wirklich stark allergisch, überlebt den Vorfall aber und wird nun nur noch zu Hause unterrichtet. Heutzutage, nach Corona, für uns alle gar nicht mehr so ungewöhnlich. Das Buch ist allerdings schon von 2008, aber auch da war es in Nordamerika durchaus üblich. Ambrosius findet die soziale Abschottung aber gar nicht gut. Und findet sich schon bald heimlich neue Freunde.

Twelve-year-old Ambrose Bukowski … is the titular nerd and it’s in his delightful, disarming voice that “Word Nerd” unfolds … This (is a) funny, wry tale, a tale that involves a lot of Scrabble, the reformation of an ex-con druggie and the coming-into-himself of a boy. And there’s a bit of love, too, actually.” Ambrose Bukowski is the titular nerd and it's in his delightful, disarming voice that Word Nerd unfolds ... a funny, wry tale' Globe and Mail This book made me feel so so happy. It's a very character-driven story, and the author really get's into each and every character, which makes you fall in love with every single one of them. I loved Ambrose's quirks, the way Cosmo treated him and the way the adults were portrayed. The story was told in a very wonderful way, and I loved to see the character- and relationship-development. There is also quite a lot of talk about food in this book, which was wonderful and made me very hungry.

Wordle Helper

Ambrose had moved many times in his short life, and therefore, struggled with fitting in. Then the universe sent him a sign in the form of a flyer for Scrabble club. It was there that Ambrose found his people and a place to belong. I loved We Are All Made of Molecules, it's a really special little book with a huge heart and one of the most enjoyable YA books I've read in some time' Melissa Cox, Waterstones Ambrose is one of the most delightful nerds I have ever read about in fiction. He nearly dies when a trio of bullies slip a peanut into his sandwich, is switched to correspondence school and befriends Cosmos, the recently returned ex-con son of their Greek landlords who live upstairs. With some fun, almost-only-in-y/a middle-rade fiction, scenes, they become allies and form a rather delightful friendship. Susin Nielsen’s depiction of grief was pitch perfect. A sweet, funny, touching and incredibly important book’