Author: Susin Nielsen
Publish Date: 9 September 2008
Genre: Realism
Audience: Teens and up
With most teenage and young adult fiction choosing to focus on the trials, tribulations and pressures of romance, friendships, and parental conflicts, Word Nerd by Susin Nielsin tackles these in a refreshing and realistic light.
Thanks to his mum’s job, 12 year old Ambrose has found himself living in numerous cities – and the more he moves, the less he seems to fit in. When the school bullies nearly kill him by slipping a peanut into his allergy-free sandwich, Ambrose’s over-protective mum makes the decision to homeschool him. When Ambrose strikes an unlikely friendship with the ex-con upstairs, he persuades him to drive him to the local Scrabble club against his mum’s wishes – what could possibly go wrong?
With wacky names such as Ambrose and Cosmo, and the typical theme of an over-protective family, the tropes for a cliché YA book were running high. However, Word Nerd goes above and beyond, delivering some of the most fleshed out and complex characters that I have stumbled across in a while. All of the characters concerns and issues seemed genuine and realistic; a rebellious teenager who’s a softie at heart, Ambrose will do whatever it takes to play Scrabble and make his deceased father proud; Cosmo is desperately trying to erase his criminal past and gain the trust of those around him; Ambrose’s mum is persistently protective of her son given her husband’s death.
Given the theme of loss that resides quietly and yet importantly throughout the novel, the paternal relationship which secretly blossoms between Ambrose and Cosmo is genuinely heart-warming as you experience both socially removed characters attempting to both find themselves and impress each other. The depth built to these characters creates a wonderful amount of sympathy, leaving you rooting for each and every person.
The prevalent theme of Scrabble is also something unique to these sort of novels. With Ambrose occasionally analysing more complex words and their anagrams in his speech, you come to understand that Scrabble is his way of logically making sense of a world which is against him. The complexity of such thought processes contrasts wonderfully against the simplistic writing style which inevitably comes with a 12 year old protagonist. His blunt naivety creates a charm only such an age can muster, making you laugh at its brashness whilst allowing you to feel closer to Ambrose as a character.
And most importantly – Word Nerd is just a whole lot of fun. With Scrabble clubs and fickle crushes, it really captures what it’s like to be a nerdy 12 year old who thinks they know better than their parents. At just 250 pages, it’s an addictive page turner laced with an indescribable child-like charm, and realistic, lovable characters. It surprisingly nails all of the usual YA tropes, and will leave you feeling comforted in a way that won’t ever make you want to put it down.
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