Winger

Andrew Smith

May 2013 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A teen at boarding school grapples with life, love, and rugby in this unforgettable novel that is “alternately hilarious and painful, awkward and enlightening” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications with the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn infographics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

Ratings and reviews

I'm not the kind of guy who ever sits down and just reads. I always try to but then get too distracted by other things or just plain bored of the book I am reading. This book in an exception. Every minute of the day I couldn't wait to have some free time so I could give this book a read. Overall it is a great book that I would highly recommend.

I had Andrew Smith as my history teacher and I never would've guessed he wrote this book. The narrator sounds so different from him.

This is one of the most amazingly true books I have ever read. I love this book so much and have reread it so many times. This book should be read by every human being in the world!

About the author

Andrew Smith is the author of several novels for young adults, including Winger, Stand-Off, 100 Sideways Miles, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle. He lives in a remote area in the mountains of Southern California with his family, two horses, two dogs, and three cats. He doesn’t watch television, and occupies himself by writing, bumping into things outdoors, and taking ten-mile runs on snowy trails. Visit him online at AuthorAndrewSmith.com.