I can't decide if I loved or hated this book. The book opens on the morning of Nick Park's graduation from high school as he is reflecting on how his life unfolded ever since his parents moved to the upper middle class and almost all white town of Renfield, CT just before third grade. At the beginning, the book was laugh-out-loud-funny but there are equally sad, disgusting, and just plain mean episodes. Nick was his own worst enemy, lying to his friends, his parents, and girls. No doubt he experienced racism as he came of age but his belief that he wasn't popular because of it was delusional. His own self-loathing and erratic behavior sealed his fate. There were parts that were just heartbreaking because of the way he treated his parents, his supposed-best friend, girls, and other classmates. Nick Park seemed to gain very little insight in the end. ( )

I'm supposed to like the hero of this young adult novel, while being amused and relating to his many flaws. Unfortunately, the author spent all his time showing the flaws, and forgot to give me anything to like. Couldn't finish it. ( )

Gah. Unlikable, self-loathing hero, pointless story, cardboard supporting characters. ( )

Hats off to the author, David Yoo, presents a great book for teens. It turns the ongoing saga of adolescence misery and coming of age into a intriguing, funny, perceptive story that you won't be able put down until the end.

Rating: A

This book was seriously, 100% laugh out loud funny. I have this habit of carrying my books around with me and reading them while I'm walking around on campus, to and from classes, but I couldn't do this with Girls for Breakfast because I was making a fool of myself laughing too hard. Here's an excerpt to give you a taste:

"What confused me about involuntarily visualizing Miss Hamilton with no clothes on was that she wasn’t even pretty. Her nose was pointy and her frizzy hair always looked sweaty, but I couldn’t stop picturing her naked. I also couldn’t stop picturing Martha the bus driver naked every time I stepped on the bus. I was a perverted Superman... I glared at Miss Hamilton’s breasts and shook a fist at her bare butt as she faced the chalkboard. I knew in my heart I’d beat this disease."
Seriously, this was funny. Plus, this comes after he's made up this whole new form of martial arts because his friends in WASP-y Connecticut think that because he's Asian he must be a kung fu master. Upon reading this book I realized that writing truly funny stuff is equally as challenging as writing dramatic stuff. Eliciting a visceral reaction of laughter is just as note-worthy as getting a reader to cry.

I gave the book an A, couldn't quite pull off an A+ because the story line drags at parts, in my opinion (granted the jokes keep coming), but you know where Nick Park is going to end up, but it just takes him so long to get there. It was a fast and easy read (and his parents are hilarious). I recommend this book to people that can appreciate sophomoric humor. ( )