Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopulos

Will on the Inside

Andrew Eliopulos

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · June 6, 2023

A Middle Grade pick for readers exploring Will on the Inside.

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Who it’s for
A thoughtful middle grade story about illness, identity, and the messy work of growing up.
Themes
Living with Crohn’s disease, Exploring identity, Social and religious pressures
Genres
LGBTQ+ Stories, Illness & Injury, Soccer Stories

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About this book

"An honest, sophisticated look at the myriad emotions surrounding chronic illness and growing up 'not straight' in a religious Georgia town." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Relatable, real, and utterly engrossing." —School Library Journal (starred review) *** After dedicated soccer player Will is sidelined from the season—and his friend group—due to complications from his newly diagnosed Crohn’s disease, he finds himself figuring out who he really is on the inside in this heartfelt and thoughtful middle grade novel that's perfect for readers who love books by Maulik Pancholy and Christine Day.

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Will loves playing center midfield on his middle school soccer team. This year, though, Will hasn't felt like himself; his stomach has been bothering him, and he has no energy at all. When his new doctor diagnoses him with Crohn's disease, Will hopes that means he’ll start feeling better soon and he can get back to playing with his team before the season ends. But Will's new medicines come with all kinds of side effects, Forced to sit out afternoon practice, Will finds himself hanging out with a kid at school, Griffin. This could be a real problem, seeing as Griffin just asked Will’s best friend to the spring dance. As in, guy friend. What would Will’s teammates say if they knew the whole story? Not to mention Will’s friends at church. With all these changes happening faster than he can process them, Will knows that he has a lot to figure out about who he really is on the inside. Andrew Eliopulos's novel is a memorable, affecting story that will have wide appeal. It was selected as a Junior Library Guild title, a Children's Cooperative Book Center CCBC Choices title, and a book of the year by the New York Public Library and School Library Journal and was named one of "6 LGBTQ+ Kids' Books We Need More Than Ever" by Kirkus Reviews.

Finding Your Footing

A thoughtful middle grade story about illness, identity, and the messy work of growing up.

Come here for

  • A warm, candid look at living with Crohn’s disease
  • Questions of identity shaped by friendship, soccer, and church

Expect

  • An affecting, character-centered read
  • A middle schooler sorting through changes faster than he can process them

Where it sits

LGBTQ+ Stories70%
Soccer Stories60%
Illness & Injury38%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Boys & Men
  • Family Stories
  • Illness & Injury
  • School Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Growing Up
  • Big Feelings
  • Friendship
  • Special Needs
Authors
Andrew Eliopulos
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
June 6, 2023
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Living with Crohn’s disease · Exploring identity · Social and religious pressures
Reading lane
Boys & Men