The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky
(National Book Award Finalist)
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A National Book Award Finalist! A Kids Indies Introduce/Next List Selection!
Perfect for fans of Mark Oshiro and Adam Silvera comes a fiercely funny and hopeful story of one boy's attempts to keep everything under control while life has other plans.
Ever since cancer invaded his adoptive mother’s life, Brett feels like he’s losing everything, most of all control. To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into epic fantasies, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series, which features food constellations and characters not unlike those in his own life.
But lately Brett’s grip on reality has started to lose its hold. The fictions he’s been telling himself – about his unattractive body, the feeling that he’s a burden to his best friend, that he’s too messed up to be loved – have consumed him completely, and Brett will do anything to forget about the cosmic-sized hole in his chest, even if it's unhealthy.
But when Brett’s journal and deepest insecurities are posted online for the whole school to see, Brett realizes he can no longer avoid the painful truths of his real-life narrative. As his eating disorder escalates, Brett must be honest with the people closest to him, including his new and fierce friend Mallory who seems to know more about Brett’s issues than he does. With their support, he just might find the courage to face the toughest reality of all.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A high school misfit tucks his eating disorder between the pages of his self-published comic book in this deeply affecting debut novel. Between his mother’s struggle with cancer and his own battle with his body image, teenaged Brett feels pretty helpless. But when he focuses on the adventures he puts on the page for his alter ego, Kid Kondor, he steps into a fun world packed with liquor-fueled fast-food binges and trampoline air drumming. Author Josh Galarza channels his own experiences into this touching story of teenage anxiety and the rarely explored issue of male body dysmorphia. Brett captured our hearts with his unique perspective and ways of handling—and mishandling—some heavy-duty emotional baggage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Smuggling the newest issue of his self-authored comic book, Kid Condor, into the school library is just one of the many things that Brett Isaias Harrison, 16, is up to. Some nights, he gets drunk and calls an Uber to take him "drunk drive-thru'ing"; others, he stargazes at the top of Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Ariz. What Brett won't do is dwell on such subjects as his eating habits, how he compares to best friend Reed, his fear that girls won't ever like him, or his adoptive mother's recent cancer diagnosis. When his food journal goes viral on school socials, Brett finds himself the center of unwelcome attention, which prompts a series of binging and purging. Refuge comes from an unexpected friendship with Mallory, "the fattest kid in school"; her assertiveness and confidence both fascinate and confuse him. Brett's quirky voice—a mix of self-conscious thoughts, Kid Condor mythology, and bro-isms ("You ready for some nuggs, bruh?")—tempers this funny yet bruising narrative about one teen's experience with grief and disordered eating in which debut author Galarza carefully touches on issues surrounding underage drinking, body dysmorphia, and internalized anti-fatness. Extensive resources conclude. Brett has Welsh, Spanish, and Mayan ancestry. Ages 14–up.
