Winger Series by Andrew Smith

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way... moreRyan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking. less

Senior year is supposed to be easy, but for Ryan Dean West, there are no guarantees.Ryan Dean finds himself as the rugby team's new captain and stand-off - the position once played by his lost friend, Joey. Plus, somehow he's inherited as his roommate Sam Abernathy, a twelve-year-old cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman, Ryan Dean's girlfriend... moreSenior year is supposed to be easy, but for Ryan Dean West, there are no guarantees.Ryan Dean finds himself as the rugby team's new captain and stand-off - the position once played by his lost friend, Joey. Plus, somehow he's inherited as his roommate Sam Abernathy, a twelve-year-old cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman, Ryan Dean's girlfriend.And Ryan Dean has his own problems, too - he's haunted by things from his past that he can't escape, fear of losing Annie, and the fact that sometimes the uncontrollable force of friendship moves under its own power. less