This novel is laced with Susin Nielsen’s trademark humor, whacky scenes and quirky characters. Wilbur is awkward in social situations, and even as he enters ninth grade, he’s getting bullied and belittled by classmates for a letter that got leaked two years earlier, in which he wrote about his uncontrollable erections. Combine that with the fact that his best friend has a romance going that spells less time for Wil. So Wil ends up spending lots of time with an elderly neighbour named Sal who, in turn, advises him about life.
It buoys him up even if it doesn’t stop Tyler’s bullying:

“You might want to stop jumping up and down, Wank. Or get a bra. Your moobs are jiggling.”
“Oh wait, [Sal] is not your grandpa. He’s your best friend. You couldn’t get anyone your own age to be your friend, so you got one from the Paleolithic age.”

Wil has two seriously over-the-top moms, who love him to death but kind of embarrass him. And they’re struggling financially, which makes Wil hesitate to ask them for money to join a school-band international exchange program. But in the end, he does raise the money, only to find himself sort-of in love with one of the French band members, a girl named Charlie.
Unfortunately, Charlie is into his tormentor Tyler, which takes a serious toll on his already low self-esteem.
Never mind, because his best friend, his best friend’s boyfriend and Sal decide to join together to do a makeover on Wil. And even if it might not help Wil win Charlie’s heart, it certainly helps him improve his social life, shrug off bullying and gain confidence. There’s a ton of toilet humour in this novel (endless references to penises and poop), which will delight some teens. And there are fun, quirky scenes such as when Sal and Wil hang out with a dinosaur skeleton at the local museum to remind themselves how unimportant they are in the history of time. Of course, the dialogue is suffused in humour:

“I know it’s painful right now, Wilbur,” said Sal. “But you’ll get over Charlie. No doubt she is a very special girl, but there are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“Not in the sea of high school, Sal. Not for me. I have too much baggage. Besides, with my luck, the only fish I’d attract is the candiru.” “What’s the candiru?”
“A fish that enters the human penis and eats it from the inside.”

So, it’s a novel to sit back and laugh with, especially since the ending is unpredictable, fun and heart-warming.

- P.W.