Reality Boy - Softcover

"We all know at least one teen who needs a book like this; I didn't know I needed it until I turned the last page."--Dodie Ownes, SLJTeen "[A] smart and sympathetic story about breaking free from the world's expectations."--The Bulletin "The hallmarks of [King's] strong work are there: magical realism, heightened emotion, and the steady, torturous, beautiful transition into self-assured inner peace. Like Gerald, it's wonderfully broken."--Booklist "Put down the remote and pick up Reality Boy--it's a showstopper."--The Horn Book * "King offers a compelling look at possible long-term effects of reality shows.... thought-provoking and ultimately optimistic."--Library Media Connection, starred review * "King's writing is tighter, more focused, and better than ever....[An] intense and incredibly fresh plot."--VOYA, starred review * "King's trademarks--attuned first-person narrative, convincing dialogue, realistic language, and fitting quirkiness--connect effectively in this disturbing, yet hopeful novel."--School Library Journal, starred review * "A nuanced portrayal....This is a story about healing."--Publishers Weekly, starred review * "Heart-pounding and heartbreaking.... a compulsively readable portrait of two imperfect teens learning to trust each other and themselves."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review "A.S. King is one of the best Y.A. writers working today. She captures the disorientation of adolescence brilliantly.... Reality Boy is finally a novel about whether you are fated to the life the world expects you to have."--John Green, The New York Times Book Review A New York Times Editors' ChoiceA 2013 Publishers Weekly Best YA BookA 2013 School Library Journal Best BookA 2013 Kirkus Reviews Best YA BookA 2013 VOYA Perfect Ten BookA 2013 Association of Booksellers for Children Best Book for ChildrenA 2014 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults BookA 2014 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers BookAn Amazon Best Book of the MonthA Publishers Weekly Book of the WeekA Winter 2013-2014 Top Ten Kids' Indie Next List PickA 2014 Texas Tayshas Reading List Top Ten BookA 2014 Carolyn W. Field Award NomineeA 2015-16 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Master List Book

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child television 'star' struggling to break free of the oppressive anger he's felt since he was five years old. Twelve years later, he's still haunted by his rage-filled youth - which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle - and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts; everyone is just waiting for him to snap. And he's starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that...until he chooses to create possibilities for himself that he never knew he deserved.