Winger

Smith, A. (2013). Winger. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Ryan Dean West is a fourteen year old junior at Pine Mountain Boarding School. He plays wing on the varsity Rugby team and has been nicknamed Winger.  He is obviously smart and athletic but he never seems to feel like he fits in. Because of some trouble he had gotten into, he had been assigned to live in the O-Hall as punishment. Although his stay started rough, Ryan ended up having fond memories of his time there. One good friend that he made in O-Hall was Joey who ends up being beaten and killed by two of the varsity football players. Incidentally, they are the same football players that had tortured Ryan Dean at the opening of the story. Although he tries to mask his feelings about the death, he takes Joey’s passing hard but with the support of his parents and Annie Altman (the girl he loves), Ryan is able to heal. Winger is intended for students age 12 and up and appropriately so. Ryan Dean is very witty and his story allowed me to get into the head of adolescent male and experience the things he does throughout the story. I would suggest Looking for Alaska as a further reading, as the two stories are similar. The story meets the criteria for social development. Ryan Dean searched for acceptance in friendships and in love throughout the story. Teens feel they need to have a sense of belonging.