Bruiser by Neil Shusterman

This realistic fiction is based on a young boy named Brewster, AKA "Bruiser". He is a big guy that could come off as looking like a bully at first glance, however he is like a teddy bear. Bruiser keeps to himself because he has a very special power. He has the ability to take any type of pain that someone might be experiencing and make it his own. Some other characters of the story are Bronte, a girl who becomes friend with Bruiser. Tennyson, who is the twin brother of Bronte, is not on the up and up with the fact that his sister is now in a relationship with Bruiser. I would really classify this as more of a sci-fi, because of Bruiser's super powers that ultimately hurt him in the process. Great book, it's just not a book for me. Teachers can use this novel as a jumping point to understanding figurative language, character development, theme and structure.