Introverted Will struggles to connect with peers while processing family heartache in Jennifer Ziegler's authentic and compassionate middle-grade novel Worser.
Will Orser loves words. He respects their precision, believes them "the basis of a civilized society" and holds others to his exacting linguistic standards. "Despite his mastery of words, Worser [knows he is] unskilled at talking with people" and devotes his energy instead to his Masterwork, a lexicon years in the making. This makes Will's grammatically incorrect nickname, "Worser," especially insulting. As seventh grade begins, Will's mother recovers from a stroke and his "elaborate, excessive" Aunt Iris cares for them both. Meanwhile, Will hides at a bookstore where the owner, a man of few words, allows Will space to work and, later, to connect with surprisingly like-minded peers when the school's Literary Club is displaced. When the store is threatened, Will overreacts dangerously and jeopardizes his new friendships.
Ziegler (Revenge of the Flower Girls) offers a thoughtful take on a sympathetic, if occasionally unlikable, protagonist and brings readers along with Will's increasing self-awareness and sociability. Her sensitive portrayal of Will's avoidance of his recuperating mother is particularly poignant. Although his voice suits his age and emotional development, Will's prolific vocabulary and witty linguistic games--such as arranging state abbreviations into longer words or appreciating the perfect wetness (and etymological origin) of galoshes--should delight more advanced readers and inspire others to word play, too. A compelling and semantically delightful story for lovers of language and flawed protagonists. --Kit Ballenger, youth librarian, Help Your Shelf