From Product Description:

Ages 9 and above.

This is a wonderfully funny heartwarming book. The characters are very real and likable. Anyone who grew up poor or was viciously teased as a youth can relate to the main character, Ambrose. He's a sweet kid and I was very sad to see the book end. I wanted to continue on his adventures. Without giving away the plot Ambrose is a very goofy kid with a good heart, nowhere to fit in, and an intensely overprotective mother. Bullying, autism, unlikely friendships, grief, and second chances are themes addressed in this book. <br /> <br />This book is written honestly and not talking down to the audience as some children's novels do. The language in this story is a little mature and I can't help but think very realistic for a boy Ambrose's age. Nothing is ever crass or used for shock value, potty humor, etc. but this story is being told through the eyes of a 12 3/4 year old and it's told realistically. If the idea of your child reading a book that contains the word 'testicle' or a censored "F___" (written out like that in the book) makes you uncomfortable... Then I suggest you read the book before you let your child. (You won't regret it.) <br /> <br />I read this book out of curiosity because I liked the cover. I'm very glad I did. I enjoyed every page.

Word Nerd <br />by Susin Nielsen <br />Ambrose Bukowski is a twelve-year-old social misfit. He has food allergies; he wears "uncool" clothing (his sneakers are Ikes, a cheap imitation of Nikes); he has no friends. He and his overprotective widowed mother, Irene, live in a dreary basement rental in Vancouver, where they have moved so Irene can work teaching "sessionals" to mediocre college students. Three school bullies torture Ambrose on a daily basis. <br /> <br />When Ambrose almost dies at school from a "prank" the bullies play on him, his mother switches him to home schooling, requiring him to spend much of his time at the apartment alone. At the same time, the family upstairs, a Greek couple named Mr. and Mrs. Economopoulos, welcomes back from jail their twenty-five-year-old son Cosmo, who tells Ambrose he was jailed for "killing a boy...who asked too many stupid questions." <br /> <br />An improbable friendship develops between Ambrose and Cosmo when they discover their mutual interest in SCRABBLE®. Ambrose finds a flyer advertising the West Side Scrabble Club and convinces Cosmo to drive him there--very much against Irene's rules. The SCRABBLE® club helps Ambrose gain confidence and self-esteem, and Cosmo gets support from Amanda, the beautiful director, in his efforts to find a better life after a rough start as a drug addict and thief. <br /> <br />Author Susin Neilsen has done her homework. Her descriptions of the West Side Scrabble Club and its annual tournament, where Ambrose and Cosmo compete, offer a warm look at the many types of people one meets at clubs and tournaments. Ambrose, initially intimidated by the players and then boastful when he wins, learns sensitivity to others--and a good list of helpful words. He finds in the SCRABBLE® community a welcome he never received at school. A cute touch is that each chapter begins with an anagram of the actual title, followed by words that can be made using those letters. Initial caps starting each chapter are inside bonus-point-shaped squares. <br /> <br />In many ways the book reminded me of Nick Hornsby's excellent novel About a Boy, in which the friendship between a shallow womanizer and an awkward preteen boy with a difficult home life transforms them both. While Word Nerd is definitely aimed at the young adult audience, it is a nice read for all ages--particularly SCRABBLE® players. As a coach of middle-school players, I understood Ambrose's emotions as he went from kitchen player to tournament player, gaining confidence and pride. I only wish that most SCRABBLE® clubs didn't meet so late in the evening--it's tough for younger players to attend. <br /> <br />In the acknowledgments the author thanks the Vancouver SCRABBLE® Club for letting her attend--and credits Stefan Fatsis's Word Freak for attracting her to SCRABBLE®. I am grateful she chose SCRABBLE® as the background for this coming-of-age story--and I hope that the story not only appeals to today's Youth SCRABBLE®Players, but also may attract other young players to the club and tournament scene. <br /> <br />Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen is available at bookstores and at Amazon.com.

This was a good story, but the language and themes are definitely more appropriate for middle school students. It is rated for age 9 and up, but pedophilia (with graphic description of what this could involve), the words "boner", "f____ing" and "sh___" (written like this, not in full), as well as more than one passing references to breasts and arousal, are not what I would expect to see in elementary school novels. The specific nature of the less desirable aspects of this book distracted me from the well-constructed story. It should be rated for 11 or 12 and up.