One of the great things about having a girlfriend who is a librarian is the amount of Young Adult literature I've been able to read. As a whole, YA lit has come a long way in the past 20 or 30 years. When I was a teenager, there was Judy Blume for the girls and S.E. Hinton for the boys and it seemed like that was about it. Today, there are a multitude of choices for kids of every age, ethnicity, proclivity, and set of interests.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going is one of the best books I've read for a long while, and that goes beyond its YA designation. The story is about Troy, a severely overweight teen who lives in New York City with his father and brother. His brother is everything Troy is not: popular, athletic, and outgoing. Into this black hole that his life has become enters Curt MacCrae, a lower-east side guitar legend and high school drop out. Curt is emaciated, troubled, and may or may not be on drugs. He and Troy strike up an odd friendship when Curt recruits Troy to play drums for his new band. Troy's complete and total inability to play doesn't deter Curt, and soon Troy begins to go through a transformation, as does Curt.
The character of Curt is clearly inspired by Kurt Cobain, and the writing on bands, music, and punk rock is very well done. The story is essentially about how two troubled individuals can overcome major obstacles through their belief in each other. While the summary may make it sound like a 'feel good' book, or something treacly, it isn't- the characters are handled with realism and in a mostly unsentimental way. The great thing about this book is that adults can enjoy the story as much as teens. I would recommend it for high school aged kids. There is some language and some situations that may raise questions, but that is never a bad thing.
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