REALITY BOY by A.S. King. Little Brown, 2013.
Gerald was on a reality TV show when he was barely more than a toddler. It was one of those nanny knows best programs, and Gerald was the star, famous for taking dumps in places other than the bathroom. When the cameras were turned on, Gerald was the center of attention briefly, but once the cameras and audience were gone, Gerald had to deal with his family problems without any help. A mother who ignores what is happening, a father who substitutes work for family, one sister who has fled the house and the country. Now it is just Gerald and his sister, Tasha, who is the cause of so much of Gerald's fame and pain. King has created characters that will make readers look beyond the surface, beyond the veneer, to see the person, the real person who lies beneath. She does this with her usual blend of harsh reality and perhaps a touch or two of magic.
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