The following is a student review. See below for my take!

Student Review By: Heather R. (12th Grade)
Grade Range: 9th grade and up
Genre: YA/Romance
Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Great
Review:

XL is a story that revolves around three friends who created the Plan, with an intentional uppercase “P”, when they were younger. Will Daughtry, Andrew (Drew) Tannenger, and Monica Alegria Bailarin are friends who became united in unusual ways. Will and Drew are brought together as stepbrothers when their parents marry after the death of Will’s mom and Drew’s parents’ divorce, and Monica is drawn to them due to her outcast nature. The three of them, mainly Drew as Will views it, seem confident that nothing will come between them and their Plan to stick together even after high school. The only problem is that it seems as though changing was not a factor that was included in the original Plan, especially changes like humongous growth spurts. When Will’s height rapidly increases from the stagnant height of 4’11 to heights previously unimagined, mixed feelings start to grow between the three friends. Will becomes stressed with his ever-growing height and the limited answers from the doctors, and this stress only grows when Drew and Monica begin dating changing the dynamic of the trio.

XL is a prime example of a book that should not be judged solely by its cover since an amazing story was hiding behind a cover that was not exactly intriguing. Will Daughtry, the main character in the novel, was humorous and had witty narration throughout the novel. Will’s interest in Biology was a source of humor and that allowed a serious book to have lightheartedness. Drew and Monica were great secondary characters seeing as their own character developments were just as important as the main character's. The author did not allow them to be overshadowed by the main issues that Will was experiencing. Drew, a star basketball player who seems to have everything going for him, reveals feelings of inferiority towards the end of the novel. Monica is very closed off in some aspects of herself, but by the end of the book, she starts to open up a tiny bit more to Will and Drew. The other characters in the book were not as likable as Will, Drew, and Monica. For example, Sidney Lim is a character who is drawn to Will after his growth spurt. She is presented as a nice character in the beginning since she is good looking, yet she seems to only be drawn to Will only because of his looks after his rapid growth. Her motivations are never brought up and that paints her in the light of a character who seems to be shallow. The ending of the book seemed rather abrupt and questions were left unanswered. For one, it is suggested that Monica may be suicidal, but it is never stated in the book if she is truly suicidal. On top of that, the question of whether Will’s growth spurt will ever end is glossed over and never fully answered. However, these unanswered questions do not hinder the book from being a great read for all teens.

Recommendation: For a reader who wants to read a young adult book that is not purely romance and contains lots of humor.

Librarian Review:
XL tells the story of Will Daughtry, just under 5’ tall on his sixteenth birthday, and his two best friends Drew and Monica. Drew is Will’s stepbrother and a star basketball player. Monica is a manic pixie dream surfer who both brothers secretly view as more than a friend. Will’s dad is a zookeeper and Will, an aspiring biologist, has a job working at the Lowlands, the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. Will’s sixteenth birthday starts out OK with the annual family birthday breakfast, but then Will gets his birthday present - a brand new car! Will pretends to be excited, but it secretly disappointed by the fact that it is a Fiat which is just his size (small). Will plans to tell Monica how he feels about her that night, but things take a turn for the worst when he stumbles upon Monica and Drew kissing at a party. It has not been a great start to his sixteenth year, but in the next few weeks, something begins to change. Will is getting taller, and taller, and taller. And this change in appearance brings about changes in his life that Will never could have anticipated and that he must figure out how to handle.

What does it say about this book that my favorite people were Will’s dad and Will’s friend Rafty, both minor characters? They brought some much needed comic relief at times in the book when a break from the teen angst and self-pity of Will (and Drew and Monica to a lesser extent) was needed. Will’s observations of the behavior of the alpha and beta gorillas are an obvious metaphor for what is going between Will and Drew as Will becomes more physically dominant. Unfortunately, Will doesn’t seem to make the connection or if he does it doesn’t change his behavior and desire to depose Drew from his throne and attempt to take possession of Monica. Although Will was not a great person, he was a realistic character. Drew and Monica were not as fully fleshed out, which makes sense since the book is in Will’s first-person point of view. Though the characters were tiresome at times, there were some laugh out loud moments, and I was intrigued enough by the plot to keep turning the pages. The resolution was mostly satisfying but don’t expect every question to be answered. Optional purchase where there is a demand for humorous YA books with male protagonists. ( )