Superb story of two outcasts finding acceptance in one another. ( )

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

David is more than just odd, or strange, or different. David is kind of a genetic anomaly, truly a freak of nature. His "hearing aids" actually minimize sound, under his hat are bat-like ears, and under his sweatshirt, well, that's the craziest part of all. David actually has wings. Not big feathery things, but a thin layer of tissue that allows him to coast through the air if he jumps from a high point.

Anybody in high school knows that being different isn't usually a good thing. Even the wrong haircut can lead to months of torture. For David, his differences could be life threatening. He's already been shipped from foster home to foster home, from school to school. When he gets in trouble at his most recent school, he prepares to start all over, again, somewhere else. This time though, the only thing that changes is the school. Amazingly, this time he might actually be okay. Sure, he's still not telling anybody about the hearing and the wings, but he's not getting beat up, either. And, he might actually have a girlfriend!

David accompanies his maybe girlfriend, Cheetah, to the Mayo clinic, and finds out some surprising information about himself. Along with a few creepy flashbacks. With this new information, David is going to have some very tough choices to make, and some harder lessons to learn.

I was expecting something completely different from this story, but I couldn't have been happier to be completely wrong! This story is incredibly touching and powerful, and honest. All of the characters are amazing and strong and realistic. The choices David makes may not be the ones you would make, but you feel the weight of them right along with him. And the lessons he learns are the simple but huge kind that everyone needs to be reminded of from time to time. It's a beautiful, simple, incredible thing. ( )

David was born with several defects. He’s ugly, he eats bugs, he has wings, and he can fly. He doesn’t fit in well with the ‘normal’ kids at the public high school so his foster parents send him to an alternative school. It’s here that he meets Cheetah, a young girl with defects of her own. Things are going pretty good for David until people start to figure out just how different he is. First, his stepmother catches him eating bugs. Then, people catch him flying and word gets out. How will David handle all of this?

Although not outstanding, I would recommend this to young adult readers. I can see where this would appeal to readers seeking non-vampire fantasy. ( )

Defect by Will Weaver is about fifteen-year-old David, a teen who has spent much of his childhood in foster homes in Minnesota. He has bug eyes and “hearing aids,” he smells strange and he can glide. He gets kicked out of his high school over fallout from his “suicide attempt” where he jumped off a cliff to teach the school bullies a lesson. He ends up in an alternative school for “young people who need a more nontraditional learning environment” (p. 19). Here he meets Cheetah, a girl who may change his life just by accepting him for who he is. But can he accept himself? ( )

David has an interesting defect. Born with an excess of skin; especially under his arms and a distict odor; David is not well accepted by his peers. After one too many hazings; David is moved to an alternative high school where he meets Cheetah; a girl with epilepsy. Cheetah and David form a strong friendship that eventually turns to love as they grow closer; when David is faced with a choice. Remain a freak; or take an elective surgery to have his extra skin removed and become "normal."I hate to admit it; but David's creepy skin and distrubing smell kept turning me off his character as someone I could like. Cheetah was also a little too bleeding heart for me. I guess I just can't face the harsh reality! ( )