Biggie

By: Derek E. Sullivan

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

Henry "Biggie" Abbott is the son of one of Finch, Iowa's most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second. At an obese 300+ pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn't understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. "Forty percent, that's an F in any class", he would say. As Biggie's junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flirt with him and suggests he should play baseball. Hundreds of people before his dream girl have told him to follow in his dad's footsteps and play ball, but Annabelle might be the one to actually convince him to try. What happens when a boy who has spent his entire life trying to remain invisible is suddenly thrust into the harsh glare of the high school spotlight?

©2016 Derek E. Sullivan (P)2019 Vibrance Press

Critic reviews

"In this debut novel, Henry is an obese high school student weighing in at 300 pounds. Because of his weight, everyone calls him Biggie, and he has little desire to try to lose the weight. That is, until one day when he is forced to participate in gym class and pitches a perfect game in a Wiffle ball match. The majority of the characters are well developed, although almost none of them are likable, including Biggie, who regularly drops f-bombs, purposefully alienates everyone, and makes poor choices throughout the novel. Some teens may find Biggie's attitude off-putting. In the end, however, Biggie redeems himself by realizing that he just might be the villain of the story. This novel is well written and fairly quick-paced, but only skims the surface on the topic of bullying. Readers who persevere through the unlikable characters will find a thoughtful conclusion." (Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Hartford Public Library, CT, School Library Journal)