The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To
Teenager Darren Bennett, who is also the story’s narrator, is an artist—NOT a “draw-er,” like what the prissy girls at school say. Darren likes keeping to himself for the most part. He enjoys living in his head and working on screenplays without bringing unnecessary attention to himself.
One day, the odd and nerdy Eric Lederer approaches Darren, complimenting him on his artwork and offering original ideas for the screenplay. The two become fast friends and forge an incredible friendship.
When Eric learns he can trust Darren, he lets him in on a big secret. Eric has never been able to sleep! He asks Darren to swear never to tell anyone about his sleepless condition, out of fear that doctors and government officials will use him as a guinea pig for dangerous experiments.
With a science-fiction premise that includes all the glory and humor of high school awkwardness, The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To
The first part of the book shows us how intelligent and creative Darren and Eric are, especially when they bounce ideas off each other for the screenplay. I like how this is left up to interpretation.
This novel is also hilarious! It’s packed with numerous pop culture references that might just resonate with multiple generations. I like the mention of Scholastic catalogs, and how they featured those “how to draw comics” books. Scholastic book catalogs were one of my favorite things about elementary school.
DC Pierson is also the author of Crap Kingdom, which came out in 2013.
What did you think about this book?
Last Updated on January 15, 2026 by Sarah Ann
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