
The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky
(national Book Award Finalist)
Square Fish · Print & ebook · July 22, 2025
A National Book Award Finalist!
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A funny, hopeful story about anxiety, grief, and finding the courage to face what hurts.
- Genres
- Eating Disorders & Body Image for Teens, Mental Illness for Teens, Death & Grief for Teens
- Published
- Square Fish, July 22, 2025
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
In RepairZach Barela, A. L. Graziadei58% matchShares Mental Illness for Teens
The Corruption of Hollis BrownK. Ancrum61% match
SmoothMatt Burns61% match
Fitting IndianJyoti Chand61% matchShares Mental Illness for Teens
The Sky Is MineAmy Beashel61% match
The Golden Boy's Guide to BipolarSonora Reyes62% matchShares Mental Illness for Teens
The New David EspinozaFred Aceves59% matchShares Eating Disorders & Body Image for Teens
FlipNgozi Ukazu58% match
For younger readers: Kareem Between, Weirdo, Boys Will Be Human
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
A National Book Award Finalist! A Kids Indies Introduce/Next List Selection! Perfect for fans of Mark Oshiro and Adam Silvera comes a fiercely funny and hopeful story of one boy's attempts to keep everything under control while life has other plans. Ever since cancer invaded his adoptive mother’s life, Brett feels like he’s losing everything, most of all control.
Continue reading
To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into epic fantasies, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series, which features food constellations and characters not unlike those in his own life. But lately Brett’s grip on reality has started to lose its hold. The fictions he’s been telling himself – about his unattractive body, the feeling that he’s a burden to his best friend, that he’s too messed up to be loved – have consumed him completely, and Brett will do anything to forget about the cosmic-sized hole in his chest, even if it's unhealthy. But when Brett’s journal and deepest insecurities are posted online for the whole school to see, Brett realizes he can no longer avoid the painful truths of his real-life narrative. As his eating disorder escalates, Brett must be honest with the people closest to him, including his new and fierce friend Mallory who seems to know more about Brett’s issues than he does. With their support, he just might find the courage to face the toughest reality of all.
Humor Meets Heart
A funny, hopeful story about anxiety, grief, and finding the courage to face what hurts.
Come here for
- A fiercely funny voice alongside grief, anxiety, and body-image struggles
- A comic-book imagination set against painful truths
Expect
- An intimate look at control, insecurity, and asking people close for support
- Humor that shares the page with difficult emotional territory
Where it sits
| Eating Disorders & Body Image for Teens | 95% |
|---|---|
| Death & Grief for Teens | 75% |
| Mental Illness for Teens | 52% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Stories About Boys & Men
- Eating Disorders & Body Image for Teens
- Emotions & Feelings for Teens
- Authors
- Josh Galarza
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- July 22, 2025
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- YA Stories About Boys & Men