Spurt

by Chris Miles

Middle Grade Fiction

Book Description

Jack Sprigley isn’t just a late-bloomer. He’s a no bloomer: an eighth grader, and puberty is still a total no-show. Worse yet, he hasn’t heard from his friends all winter vacation. He assumes they’ve finally dumped him and his child-like body—until he finds out it’s much worse than that. His friends are now so far ahead of him that they’ve started dating. Jack is out of luck. But then he comes up with a plan to catch up and win his friends back. And his plan is perfect: he just has to fake puberty.

MY THOUGHTS: 3 OF 5 FLEURS DE LIS

Fourteen year old Jack Sprigley believes he doesn’t have much going on for him at this point in his eighth grade life. He’s the only boy he knows who hasn’t started puberty–not even one single hair down there! His friends haven’t spoken to him in weeks. He’s bullied by his hulking classmate. But when he gets the chance to stand out again in a way he did a couple year prior, he takes it–though things are not what he expects them to be.

I guess I thought, based on the description of this book, that it would be more about a boy trying to ACTUALLY fake puberty, and that would have been hilarious. That’s not really what happens here though. Jack is supremely bothered that he’s still so young seeming compared to his friends, but he’s more concerned about standing out and being special than the changes not happening to his body. In his defense, his friends did treat him pretty crappy, but maybe at 13/14 kids are just that way to each other.

There were a whole lot of misunderstandings and non communicative scenarios going on, so much so that they kind of make up the basis of the book. There were conversations that were hilarious, sure, but there were just as many that were kind of mean spirited and frustrating. If these kids would have just talked to each other so many problems could have been solved!

There is definitely some risque subject matter in the novel, so although it’s a middle grade book, parents might want to give it a quick read first. But always remember, if they don’t learn it from you, they will learn it from somewhere else! The book has plenty of laugh out loud moments but some readers might find characterization to be lacking. I might recommend this book for older middle grade/young YA readers.

About the Author

Chris Miles has written several books for young readers in Australia. His short fiction and other writings have appeared in publications throughout Australia. He works as a website designer and developer, and in his spare time he indulges his love of Doctor Who, LEGO®, Dungeons & Dragons, and anchovies. He is a dog person (though not literally).