Burger Wuss

by M.T. Anderson

Anthony is a wuss - until the day he finds his girlfriend, Diana, in Turner's arms! Anthony vows revenge and devises The Plan which involves an anarchist, a condiment trolley, and a 1985 Oldsmobile named Margot. But when these ingredients are finally put together, will he be satisfied?

Hoping to lose his loser image, Anthony plans revenge on a bully which results in a war between two competing fast food restaurants, Burger Queen and O'Dermott's.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Coming Of Age, Contemporary

220 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 1999

About the author

Matthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Noah Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I enjoyed reading Burger Wuss by M.T. Anderson a lot. I really enjoy his wit and slightly sarcastic style of writing. There was never a dull moment while reading, and I couldn't stop turning the pages.

Plot:
Anthony is what most would call a wuss. He doesn't really have many friends, just Rick And Jenn (his two best friends) who are madly in love. His first real girlfriend, Diana, is the perfect girl. She is funny, caring and beautiful he thinks he has “found his Jenn” that is until one night at a party he catches her making out with a jerk named Turner. After figuring out that Turner works at a local fast food restaurant named O'Dermott's, he decides to try and get revenge on Turner for taking away the love of his life. First, he gets a job at O’Dermott’s where he meets an ally. On his first day his new ally named Shunt opens up with “Welcome to corporate hell” and immediately he knows that Shunt could be a vital ally to his cause. After talking to Shunt, they form “The Plan” and immediately start, first step… kidnapping!

Characterization:
The book is told through the first person point of view of Anthony. At the start of the book, the reader might see Anthony as a “wuss” with not much really going for him. As the book progressed, the readers will see him develop into a much stronger person; physically, but more emotional and psychology.

Turner is seen as the antagonist throughout the book. He is a stud who ends up making out with Anthony's girlfriend, Diana. He is smarter, more evil and most importantly stronger than Anthony. As the reader progresses further through the book, the reader will see some good in him, but mostly bad as he tortures Anthony in a variety of ways; including drowning him in a puddle and kicking him in the ribs!

Setting:
Burger Wuss takes place in an unknown small town. The setting is important because they live in a small town and that makes it easier for rumours to be spread about Anthony. The time period is sometime in the late 1900’s to early 2000’s. The time period is significant because even though they didn’t have social media or cell phones, it was still easy and fast for Turner to spread rumors about Anthony.

Recommendation:
I would recommend Burger Wuss to anyone in eighth grade and above because of language and violence throughout the book. I would also recommend this book to both boys and girls because even though the main character is a boy, both boys and girls can relate to the theme of first love and revenge.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you like fries with your revenge, sir?

4.5 stars.

A revenge story set in a burger shop? With two chains pitted against each other? Over a girl? Perfect YA material for a great read involving teenagers, plans, relationships and giant character ketchup dispensers.

Anthony interviews for a job at O'Dermott's, but we are soon let into his secret - after walking in on his girlfriend Diana kissing another guy and them breaking up, he has vowed revenge on his nemesis, Employee of the Month at aforementioned burger joint.

Anthony is the 'wuss' of the title, and though he's smart, he's definitely not a character you fall for, you definitely want him to get his revenge, but he is a flawed individual. I laughed at his plan, and how it brought a rivalry between a McDonald's/Burger King pair of sound-a-likes to life.

Some funny references at the burger joints to their work ethics and interviews, workers' roles and supervisors' attitudes.

A good last-minute feminist rant, and final twist that made me smile, making an overall great read for teenagers. The lives, loves and relationships of young adults is realistically portrayed, and it's refreshing to read such a funny story about a 'loser' fighting back.

Some mild sexual content and themes more suited to older teens.

[Kmeyer_22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the book. It shows what he is willing to do to get his ex back from Turner. He signed up at Turner's work to get a job there. I also think it is said that he got dumped. It is also nice how he has really good friends that help him through this. It probably makes he fell bad that his best friends are dating and he is not dating Diana. He was told maybe he was dumped because he is not serious enough. He thinks it was just about respect. I found out Turner wasn´t dating her anymore. I thought it was funny they played a softball game in ankle deep water.

[Stella Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t even ask I read this when I was like 12

[Colin Cretain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many books in my life and this one particularly stood out to me. Usually I am more of the Mike Lupica sports or the Darren Shan horror type of person but I decided to try something different and I am glad I did get to. Everything is different. The way it is written is different. I just don't see how Anthony ( the main character) could be so dumb and let one person control him. Turner ( person who stole Anthony's girlfriend), worked with Anthony. The first day Anthony started working, Turner had acted like he didn't know Anthony. That right there should have been a sign to Anthony. I would have been yelling at Turner or looking at him like he was dumb. That is the reason I liked this book. It left me, the reader, wanting to read more and more. I just could not get enough of this book. I would be reading it at times I wasn't supposed to be. The part that got me was Anthony's girlfriend Dianna. How she had ended things with him after Anthony witnessed her laying on a couch with Turner's jacket on. Then the part when Turner acted like he didn't know Anthony and invited him out with him and a couple of workers. Until Anthony realized they had set him up to get jumped after he started to get beat up and the fact that Dianna was just standing there watching. How dumb could you possibly be? I would have never believed Turner. Never trusted someone who made my girlfriend leave me. Even though Anthony turned out talking to her again and turning nice. But that is what lures me in as a young reader. This book was made for my age and up. I don't recommend a younger reader reading this because of some of the language used. I really did not expect it to be as mature as it really was. I was assuming it would be a little immature just because I had judged the book by the cover. Just as I shouldn't have. Burger Wuss is a more of a romantic, comedic, love seeking, fighting and stealing type of book. I enjoyed reading something other than sports or horror for a change. I learned a lot from this book overall. One thing is to never give up on someone that you love so much as Anthony began to give up but then finally got a hold of himself. Also that you stand up for yourself. Anthony was always getting bullied when he could have been a man and stood up to Turner and fought back to the guys from their rivalry food restaurant. I enjoyed this book and surly do recommend it to readers who want to find a book that is comedic and loving at the same time.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really read YA books too much. M.T. Anderson I make an exception for because 'Thirsty' was such a huge deal for me as a teen and I've enjoyed both re-reading his classics and reading the newer books he's put out.

'Burger Wuss' is a dark tale of teenage romantic obsession. Our hero is a huge dork and a loser. Against the odds, he impresses one of the popular girls at his school. They date, briefly. Then she cheats on him, in a humiliating public episode, with a crass athletic bully. Naturally, our hero Anthony processes this by swearing vengeance against the guy who 'stole' his girlfriend and decides that the best opportunities for retribution will come if he starts working at the same fast food chain restaurant as his enemy.

This is nowhere near as dark as 'Thirsty', which I think at the time of reading it was one of the darkest endings to a story I'd ever experienced. Still, there is an undercurrent of sharp, sly humour running through 'Burger Wuss'. Anderson's always been really great at the cruel / banal stuff that teens say to each other, and also the nearly Shakespearean towering emotions that such mockery can bring out. Secret weapon is the hapless manager of the burger joint who I kept picturing as either a Fred Armisen or Will Forte type. (He also keeps using words ending in '-age' - could we be seeing a lapsed Descendents fan here?) However, nearly every character gets a chance to say or do something funny.

Much like the film 'High Fidelity', or 'Rushmore', I probably took the wrong message from the book when I read it as a kid. Goofy underdog Anthony is an unpopular nerd and we know from his narration that he's a pretty clever, funny guy, so we must be meant to root for him, right? No matter how crazy or irresponsible his actions may get... that's just part of being a romantic! I think it is made explicitly clear near the end that Anthony's approach was not the right thing to do by any measure, but there isn't a long didactic passage about this revelation, nor does he really change his ways at the end or reject this way of thinking, so by modern standards I guess 'Burger Wuss' is a full throated endorsement of abusive behaviour. It isn't a book where at the end our hero has worked out how to be a nicer or better person; we sense he will keep making the same mistakes for a while. But he knows a little more than when we first met him.

8/10

[Tyler Wetzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I thought this was a great book. It kept me guessing. Usually in books everything goes according to plan and there are not many surprises but this kept the surprises coming. A boy and a girl are deeply in love. The girl cheats on him. He meets a new friend. The "friend" beats him up. He gets revenge. He feels bad about it.
Plot summary: The book starts with a boy getting an interview for a job at O'Dermots which is the books version of Mc.Donalds. There competition is Burger Queen. The boy gets a job and in his head talks about how he only got it for revenge. He then goes into a flashback about how he had an amazing girlfriend who he did everything with. Then one day they went to a party. They were drunk. He caught her on top of a dude. He runs away, punches a tree or two and decided he is gonna get revenge on the guy. Getting the job was the first part. Then he had to become friends with the guy who made out with his girl and now is his coworker. He does this but the guy realizes who he is and beats him up. Now he has a new an which is to steal a statue from the rivals place and blame it on the guy. This goes according to plan as the guys car ends up getting pooped in and pushed into a lake with the paint scratched up. The guy funds out its Anthony's (main character) and beats him up. They both get fired cause it happens work.

Characterization:
Anthony: Is a shy guy who can't really make up his mind. like ever. He wants to do "stuff" with his girl but doesn't. He wants to get revenge but feels bad about it. He makes out with a different chick afterwards and can't tell if it was good or bad. He wants to fight back but instead lets Turner beat him up.

Turner: A piece of crap but is a stud with the ladies. He makes out with a dudes girl when he already has a girl. Then after treats the girl so bad that she quits her jobs and moves out of town. He constantly bullies everyone weaker then him unless if he needs something from them.

Diana: Anthonys ex who cheated in him because he wouldnt "make his move" *nudge nudge wink wink* She then quits her job because the guy she cheated with is a jerk. That's basically it for her.

Recommendations: I recommend this book to basically anyone who can read past a 7th grade reading level. It's got love, fighting, weird dark humour, normal humour. I think it would be a good choice for anyone.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this right after I read "Thirsty" so I was fearful that the end would suck on this one as well. Luckily for me, I found it to be a fairly satisfying ending, although I thought one character needed to get kicked in the head that didn't. There was some good teen angst, some humor, a really hideous antagonist with a green sateen jacket, and a kid named Shunt who is going to take out the fast food industry...and after reading some of the stuff that goes on to get that fast food to us, I kind of have to applaud his efforts. Let the cows turn around, dang it!

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved all of M.T. Anderson's other books so I'm surprised I hadn't read this one until now, especially since I think it's a great read *and* a great reluctant reader book. It's told from the point-of-view of a loser and I really appreciate that Anderson doesn't try to transform him or save him, although there is a sense of redemption. I deducted half a star because, despite the wonderful writing and character development, there was a always a certain amount of distance between me and the main character. But maybe it was just because he was such a loser!

[Miroslav Lysak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was great but, the characters where really poorly made. The author was not descriptive about how the characters acts, looks, and feels. Well of course the main character was really well done, but everyone else in the book... not so good. I would recommend this book to a 6-7 grader because it was so easy to read and understand as well as the ending was really easy to guess.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Jane Ono · Rating 1 out of 5]

They say revenge is a dish best served cold...would you like fries with that?

[Becca Osborn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another example on why I don't follow my husbands book recommendations.

[Dironego Jabberwocky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro bueno a pesar de todas las referencias (Meat Loaf, Johnny Carson, The three Billy Goats Gruff, etc.) que, si se desconocen, afectan el disfrute de su lectura en su totalidad. Es un libro que aparentemente agiganta las dolencias de un joven a quien le han roto el corazón, pero en realidad, la historia refleja varios engranajes que conforman a la sociedad moderna de hoy en día: machismo (Turner y Anthony peleando por Diana como si fuera de su propiedad), restaurantes y empresas en donde impera la sobreexplotación de los trabajadores y que sólo buscan llenarse los bolsillos de dinero mientras atiborran a sus clientes con carne procesada de animales que sufrieron peor que en un matadero, y las injusticias sociales (el trabajo más pesado en una empresa es el peor remunerado). El protagonista, Anthony, es un cobarde que se enseña a sí mismo que muchas veces el peor enemigo de uno es a quien vemos reflejado en un espejo, y que, en realidad, está en cada uno de nosotros seguir saciándonos con hamburguesas aderezadas de rutina, cobardía, presiones sociales, sexo, machismo, rivalidad y juegos sin sentido, o actuar y enfrentar nuestras problemáticas, por más desolador que sea el resultado final.

[Manly Manster · Rating 1 out of 5]

What's wrong with this book is that it's about a boy who took a job at a fast food restaurant not because he wanted to work, but because he wanted to get revenge on someone who worked there. So when the book has scenes of him working, they don't matter because he is not actually there for the job. Unfortunately, the book seems to have forgotten that.

Also, it has scenes of the boy interacting with the person he wants revenge on and nobody cares about that, because we know he is not there to be that boy's friend.

Lack of focus on what the story is really about brings the book down. The sense of humor with which the book is written is the only thing that's good.

I really wanted the boy to focus on his revenge plan and for the revenge plan to be good, but when the boy joined the softball team of the boy he wanted revenge on, I felt the book was just focusing on all the wrong things.

There was a lot of funny weirdness, such as the way the parents listened when the boy talked to his girlfriend on the phone, or the people who have a hobby of correcting grammar.

Unfortunately, the book was not plot focused enough and I lost interest while reading it.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book second hand not realizing it was a YA book with teen protagonists, but since I read a lot of YA that didn’t bother me. However, the characters aren’t very well developed. It’s told in first person so you’d think at least the main character would seem flushed out, but he didn’t. I thought it might be an interesting tale of learning the person you seek revenge against isn’t that bad a person but it felt like a very stereotypical 80s or 90s tale of the bad bully and the kind of dumb ass kid they torment. The book was a fun read but not the biting satire some reviews have proclaimed it to be and we’re it longer the main character might have grown to grate on my nerves as he is pretty dumb and single sighted. I did appreciate his struggles with using the cordless phone for conversations with his ex as it’s easy to forget what a challenge having a private conversation was back before everyone had their own cellphone.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anthony gets hired at a local burger joint as part of his plan to get back at Turner, a guy his girlfriend cheated on him with. Turner continues to bully Anthony, making his time at work miserable. Taking it up a notch, Anthony's plan leads to a bitter rivalry with the other local burger chain, Dairy Queen.

I'd say to take my review with a grain of salt, as I am not the intended audience. To me, this seems like a book that was probably good at its publication, but has not aged well. Beyond a general lack of character growth and plot, there were some more problematic elements - such as encouraging readers to push their partners sexually and violence being shown as the solution to overarching problems.

[Rustyn McElroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably more on the high school level, but it is still a good read if you're into the whole high school drama thing. This is not a book I would normally gravitate towards - but that is why I picked it. However it ended up being a pretty easy read because of how interesting it was. It's about a guy trying to get revenge on the guy his girlfriend left him for. I liked this book okay, but I probably wouldn't read it again or recommend it to a friend who is looking for a new book to read.

[Adam Jiwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by my teachers and once I heard what they had to say about it I was hooked. The plot was full of suspense from his girlfriend being in love with him to the next day her cheating on him. Then, he plots to mess up Turner's career and tries to get him fired for cheating on his girlfriend! In the end, I liked the book because of how the author chose to do things and to make something so little into a huge plot twist. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book while looking for high interest low level books for emerging middle school readers. The plot line is hard to follow and the book feels like an early draft instead of a published work. Anthony’s character arc is almost non existent. “Burger Wuss” also felt somewhat misogynistic. I would be hesitant to recommend this book.

[Cheryl]

impulse at LFL, but it's about the teens' relationships, it seems, more than about an exploration of what it's like to work as a teen in fast food (though there seems to be enough of that there to encourage the teen reader to get an education so they can get a better job...)

July 2025

[Joe Santoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read during an impressionable time and made me really insecure about dating girls and relationships. It does have some funny parts though.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing read! This book had fun characters that you can really connect with, and had a great storyline!

[Nate Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fun read but kinda dumb.

[RAM]

YA Fiction. Gift. 3/20

[Troy Fanton]

6 Copies

[Kim Ammons (youthbookreview)]

DNF'd because I can't get past the choppy sentences in the narration

[zrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by my sister because I liked The Catcher in the Rye.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dont get it

[Bryson Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burger wuss was a decent to good book in my opinion it was kind of boring because I’m not the biggest fan of reading. But for a book it was alright and I really liked in the book how Anthony (main character) never stood up for himself until finally when he girlfriend was taken he decided to man up and stand up for himself. I thought that was pretty cool since he would never stand up for himself but then he got the courage from inside of him and manned up.