One in a Hundred Thousand

by Linni Ingemundsen

Fifteen-year-old Sander wishes he was like everyone else. But Sander has a rare medical condition that affects one in a hundred thousand people. It means his growth is stunted, and it seems the biggest, strongest and loudest guys get all the attention. But Sander notices the little things other people miss, and he’s about to make a big impact...

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Health, Disability

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2021

Reviews

[* ✧ ･ﾟcara ･ﾟ✧ *]

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[so_big_hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review got deleted so I'm gonna say it shorter this time. The writing is bad and bland, characters are very stupid. When you think something is bout to happen, nothing does! Everything is said not shown and the MC is constantly clueless (and because of that so are the readers and I hate that). Not to add the fact that this read like a 2012 wattpad book where the author had no plan and was just making stuff up as they went. This is just sooo boring and not worth the time!

[Tamsin Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this book from Usborne Publishing and I absolutely adored it. Ingemundsen writes with such understated power and beauty about characters who you immediately fall in love with, only for them to break your heart (in a good way!). An adorable coming-of-age story of a small boy who is exceptional in so many ways. Highly recommended.

[Tom Wyllie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a man with SRS (RSS as it is phrased sometimes in the UK), I can only say how heartwarming it is to see my condition featured so prominently in a book.

A lovely story that details exactly what we RSS/SRS children experienced growing up (wondering if we would ever be tall enough) but at the same time, a nice story about friendship in teen years.

As it mentions in the back, do check out The Child Growth Foundation. It’s an underfunded charity that does so much to support children with rare growth disorders like Silver Russell Syndrome.

[stefiereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: child abuse, mentioned of suicide, bullying.

4.5 stars

Read this book in one sitting. It’s a page-turner for me. And it’s quite charming and heartwarming.
I loved it. This is a book about a kid name Sander, who have a Silver Russell Syndrome which I have never heard of or read about.

Maybe what makes our main character, Sander, special to me is that I can see a little bit myself in him. In fact, I think we can be good friends. Like, I can relate to a lot of things he was feeling. The friendships here might a bit monotone, but at the same time understandable.

This book may not have a dramatic event, something that made you gasps, or blew your mind, BUT, it deals with a lot of important things in a gentle and kind way.

Also, this book sets in Norway! Which is fun to read. I love reading books that sets in Norway ☺️

*Thank you publisher for the review copy.

[Alison Pashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 11yo daughter came home with this from the school library a couple of weeks ago, but when she read the trigger warnings on the inside front cover about suicide and child abuse, she wasn't sure if she wanted to read it. So I said I would read it first and get a sense for if she would be OK with it.

It has some similarities to Wonder in terms of Sander, the main character, being physically different to his peers - in his case because he has Silver Russell Syndrome which affects his growth.

It does mention suicide but it's a past event rather than something which happens in the story. The child abuse involves a child being hit and is dealt with sensitively and in a way that won't alarm an 11yo. It also covers under age drinking and there are mentions of sex, but again nothing that's too mature for my daughter.

Overall I think an interesting read for maybe 11-14 year olds, with some important messages.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a book club. It's a very quick, easy read. It was interesting as it shows how a person who feels conspicuous wants to fit in whereas others want to stand out. It is set in Norway and also has insight about the impact of social media on young people.

[Raie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who has Silver-Russell syndrome. Sander is smaller than all the other kids in school. It shows how he is treated differently because of his condition and how worried he is about how he looks to other people. It's about wanting to fit in, friendships, standing out, and learning not to judge people by what you see or what they're showing you.

Reading this book was quite a pleasant and easy journey. It is wonderfully understated, set in Norway with beautiful characters you can relate to. The story is clean and simple but tackled child abuse and suicide, which was handled well. The book has trigger warnings and I loved the characters and would definitely recommend from 12+. For an adult, it's probably a bit too young and simple but perfect for young children.

[Amy McLellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One in a Hundred Thousand follows Sander and his life growing up with Silver Russell syndrome. When a new person, called Niklas, arrives at school, Sander notices something is a little strange about Niklas. I really enjoyed this book as a light read. Though the plot dealt with some hard themes, they were covered well and in a way that wasn’t too harrowing.
One element that really intrigued me and I felt was really well written, was Niklas’ abusive relationship with his father. As I read the book, I felt something was amiss. A few things Niklas said and did hinted that something was not quite right. At one point, he claims he fell off his bike and has a bruise on his arm. He was dismissive when Sander asked him.
As soon as the shotgun was mentioned, I knew it would play a prominent part, and I could kind of see where the book was leading, pretty much as soon as it was mentioned. I guess that was one thing that annoyed me; I could always sense what was going to happen next or at the end.
Another idea that was presented really well, was that of coping with an illness. Sander tells us how it feels like to live with Silver-Russell disease and how he is treated differently by people at school. Throughout the book, we hear Sander’s attempts to make sure his height is still increasing (otherwise the hospital won’t continue his medication). I won’t go into too much detail over the ending (I don’t want to give anyway spoilers), but Sander’s last few lines, really showed his character development and how much he had changed. It was really lovely to read.
Overall, I felt the book had a really good message and Sander’s experience with his illness, brought the book for me. However, I do feel the plot was quite slow moving and at points, I struggled to see where it was going. The character of Sander was developed, but I would’ve liked to see more development of his relationship with other people. I enjoyed this book as a light read - it is a lovely story with some wonderful ideas!

[Manuel.hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really moving sander who suffers silver Russell syndrome struggling to fit in with other students in his year so he hangs around with his brother they ride there bikes together play videogames. Then comes along the new kid tall popular and good looking stealing the show. Later on to find out he has a upsetting home life that sander finds out and try’s to help him live s better life!

I loved the messages behind the book it was so emotional I laughed I feared what would happen next and then I cheered to the happy ending.

[Alex Ayres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few big heavies recently so I wanted something simple to cleanse my palate and this was perfect. I read it in a couple of sittings over one day and loved it.
Sander is a great protagonist. He seemed a little young for a 15 year old at first, but I think that’s just in comparison to the standard YA protagonist who attends a big American high school and goes to parties and drinks all the time. I also liked the fact that it was so different to standard American YA as it is set in Norway, which was much more relatable to me and less...sensationalised, if that makes sense. There wasn’t a cringe love story or a dramatic prom scene etc. It was just a relatable story about a teenager struggling with teenage problems.
I thought the mentions of SRS were done well (imo, as someone who doesn’t have it) as a way to highlight the particular insecurities that come with that kind of medical condition without dwelling on it enough to make it depressing or too info-dumpy.
The rest of the characters were also well-written and although there wasn’t much of a plot, enough was going on for me to never get bored and I was sad when it ended.

[Shaun Winford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure it should be 3 or 4 stars.
On the one hand, I love the peaceful Norwegian setting and the very accessible prose. The writing is understated, and yet it gives you access to Sander's complex inner world with a lot of struggle, self doubt, and yet strangely cosy. Sander showed true growth at end of the story, which is a long way from his being a little bitch at the beginning.
On the other hand I felt underwhelmed by the way the story deals with the heavy topics at hand. I get the appeal but I'm not sure I felt much at the resolve or the bits that everyone called moving.
Also, Sander is both a soft boy and not a soft boy at the same time?? He's quiet and polite and has quirky, solitude hobbies and yet he laments the fact that he cannot pick a fight with his brothers and enables Jakob's short violent outburst??? I'm not sure I liked that.

[Rafaela E'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really an awesome read, but it felt like a filler episode in a series. There was no real point of the book.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the story in it but we see the Points of the story being shifted to one of the side characters in the beginning. We learn about the main character and he's disease and he's father and to the end we see that it's him just helping out a friend who he didn't even like initially and it just felt like there was no real point of the book. Really, because it just it went from him. Dying from a disease to some random kid even was having issues at home

I still loved it but It felt like I needed more

[J.S. Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️Review: One in a Hundred Thousand by Linni Ingemundsen

“A heartfelt, moving read.”

One in a Hundred Thousand will stay with me for a long time. It wasn’t exactly what I was after, but I’m glad I read it. For a Young Adult book, it was pitched perfectly. It packed a punch and had me rather emotional by the last few chapters.

I think Ingemundsen dealt with sensitive topics such as suicide, abuse, disability and teenage angst perfectly, and as a kid growing up with health problems myself, protagonist Sander’s worries really resonated me with.

Such a great book!

[Ashe · Rating 2 out of 5]

personally, this book just wasn’t for me. i understood the plot and stuff, but it was a bit wishy washy? iygm. like sander has srs (Silver russell syndrome) and it didn’t really go into to much detail about it. like yeah it did mention some stuff about it but i thought the book was going to be about someone living each day with it. not focusing on a different character. but that’s just my point of view. 2.25

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read but still lovely and entertaining. Sander is such an amazing main character and I loved to read his sarcastic thoughts he has throughout the book. I'd recommend this book to anyone with the need to pass the time at the beach or in a train ride.

[Zoe]

I liked it well enough, although I didn’t feel a real connection to it. I do think it was well-written, though, and reads very smoothly. The writing style was sort of old-fashioned or MG-like? Not something I’m used to reading in YA. It’s definitely an “I liked it”, but I don’t know if 3 stars really gives that impression on Goodreads.

[Rutuja Ramteke · Rating 4 out of 5]

💮A very heart warming tale that has a lot of sides and different angles. I feel I read something like this after so long. The fact that it had the power to move something in me is outstanding. I think it taught me a lot. It also reminds me of Wonder by R J Palacio. Definitely recommended.
.
Rating: 4⭐️

[Crystal Mitcham]

This books is about a 15 year old boy called Sander who has Silver-Russell Syndrome which is a growth disorder. It is written in the first person you follow his journey through school, friendships and life. I loved this book as it gives you an idea of how a person might deal with different challenges in life with the disorder he has.

[Isobel Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. It's not a fast paced, racy plot but is well-written and has some well-drawn characters. Dealing with a boy who is different to his peers and feels that difference more than they notice it, it deals with his relationships with his family and friends and his developing knowledge of himself. I think this is a good read for young adults.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so blooming touching! And teaches you alot to just appreciate you for who you are.
Sander felt like an outsider his whole life focusing on what he thought was the negatives, and ended up completely accepting himself and learning just to be his wonderful self and accept others for who they are and not what people try to tell you to think.
It was such a beautiful read 🖤

[CAROLINE · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book about sa teenage boy with SRS. He wants to be like everyone else . He wants to fit in. It's a great book about inclusion and diversity. I would recommend this book to anyone to read it really gives you an insight about SRS and what he went through in his teenage years.
It's amazing

[Kate Mountford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow ... Started late afternoon and finished same day. I really couldn't put this book down and wanted to find out what happens next at each chapter.

Sander has SRS (I've not of it until this book) but it shows how he feels, his friendships and his love of photography

I would recommend this to anyone

[Mark Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife bought this book when she went out with her team. I actually browsed the reviews before reading it, and I didn’t think it was very good. However, the book wasn’t terrible. I think it’s like a diary of a kid facing teenage problems and learning how to deal with them. Yes, maybe he isn’t as normal as everyone else, but I think he has a good heart.

[Lotte (readbylotte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick and easy read. It was refreshing to read a book that doens’t take place in the UK or US as usual, I didn’t know before I started so it was a nice surprise. I really liked reading Sander’s story.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say check trigger warnings. I loved this book at first it was quite slow but might have been because my mind was all over the place but this book made me feel all sorts of emotions it even made me cry a bit

[Flávio Vitorino · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good narrative but nevertheless I didn't feel like there was something that would hold us to the main character or that would make us like this story more. It has a more youthful reading and therefore easy to understand and build characters, a story that addresses trust and friendship.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date - 18.11.24 to 21.11.24.
My rating - Three Stars.
I liked this book but I didn't love it. The atmosphere was fine and the writing was okay. The paced of plot was bit slow and I would have this book to be shorter. I the cover of book. The characters was okay but they needed be flash out bit more.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about how it’s not always what’s on the outside that is the most important

[Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. Really kept me interested the whole way through