‘Word Nerd’ by Susin Neilsen hooks readers early on with its intriguing themes of bullying and finding one’s own strength while trying to fit in, even though one may stand out.

Ambrose is the main character – a boy on the cusp of being a teenager, as he likes to say he is 12 3/4 years old. He and his mother rent living space from a Greek couple whose son, Cosmo, becomes an unwitting friend and ally to Ambrose as the novel progresses. The thing is that Cosmo is just out of prison, having served time for breaking and entering as well as drugs. While Ambrose is extremely interested in hanging out with Cosmo and learning about his past, Ambrose’s mother is extremely overprotective, telling him that he is not to have anything to do with Cosmo, no matter the circumstances. His failure to listen to his mother could be construed as him bucking the parenting system in his own form of rebellion. Yet he sees something good and kind in Cosmo that others, outside of Cosmo’s mother, are not apt to see, and that is where their friendship grows from, since Ambrose himself often feels misunderstood.

While Cosmo teaches Ambrose some self-defense, the two also embark on a journey into the world of competitive Scrabble, traveling weekly to the group sessions where they play and practice for an upcoming tournament. Ambrose’s mom stays in the dark about what her son is up to, as she works nights as a college lecturer. When she’s around, however, she keeps Ambrose very close, always afraid that something horrible will happen to him, as it happened to her husband – and Ambrose’s father – years ago when he died from something that burst in his brain.

Ambrose’s mother’s wariness of Cosmo, mingled with Cosmo trying to do the right thing, and a host of troubles that creep into the fray, make Ambrose’s life more interesting than it’s been in a long time. While Cosmo helps him come to an understanding of who he is and how he can stand up to the bullies who almost killed him, Ambrose gains traction and finds that his struggle to survive is not as hard as it once used to be. Getting his mother to see that – and believe it – is the hard part.

A story of strength in the face of adversity, ‘Word Nerd’ will win the hearts of readers who want to see the good guys win out, but not without a lot of conflict along the way to reveal the true strength of their characters.

You can find ‘Word Nerd’ by Susin Neilsen here.