Andy Zansky is a sophomore in high school. He definitely is not one of the cool kids. He is in the Model UN, and he is pretty smart. He would like to stay out of sight when the bullies come along. Unfortunately, that is kind of hard to do because he weighs 306.4 pounds.

Andy's mom is a caterer, and Andy likes to help out when she needs it. At the end of the summer, he was doing just that when he met April, a girl he becomes quite enamored with. He figures he is never going to see her again, but she ends up transferring to his school with the start of the new year. He has to find a way to get this girl to like him. A friend suggests that he does something surprising to get her attention.

Andy does just that when he tries out for the football team. His size and surprising ability seems to make him the perfect choice to fill an opening as center. His new status as a football player elevates him in status, allowing him to get new friends and even catch April's attention. It also also makes his lawyer father seem even more interested in what he is doing, something Andy really wants since his parents divorced and his dad moved out.

The problem is the changes in his life means that he finds a new distance with his best friend and the things that he seemed to enjoy about his old life. He also can't help but question if he really has gotten what he wants with his new status.

This book does a great job of looking at the high school caste system. It seems to avoid stereotypes as it makes the "others" in the school not necessarily as bad as Andy thought they were as he got to know them.

The real strength of the book, though, is Andy. He is really a real-sounding character. He is big. Andy takes the reader along for a ride that is a different kind of makeover. Ironically, he doesn't get everything he couldn't have, but in a way he learns to look for the things he really wants. When you do that, you have a better chance at happiness.