Rereading: PORKO VON POPBUTTON by William Pène du Bois

This is another in the series of short books on bad habits, here gluttony. Pat O’Sullivan Pinkerton has a serious eating problem, and the last straw for his parents is when his weight destroys half their home, so they send him to a boarding school, President Coolidge School for Boys on Lake Brown Bear next to the Canadian border. It’s a school focused on sports, especially ice hockey, and their rival, Canada’s Queen Mary Boarding school, is at the other end of the lake.

Naturally Pat does not fit in, and is mocked by his roommate and classmates as well as the teachers, who bestow the title nickname among others, and do their best to cut his eating, but are only minimally successful. When Pat is named the coach of the ice hockey team, though, he begins to find new interest in life and school, and his roommate Jim Finger teaches him how to be a goalie. Despite his size, Pat begins to gain respect for his dedication to the team, and when Jim Finger is injured and Pat must take his place as goalie in the big game against the rival school, everyone is looking to Pat with high expectations. Can he fulfill them?

A fun read, and fat shaming is not the main thrust of the book as you might think. Recommended, and the illustrations are excellent.

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