STUXX

Will Gmehling

Stefan Uwe Max – she had turned it into “Stuxx”, ‘the woman who was his mother’. She ran away four years ago, and Stuxx has no idea why and no longer wants to know. Since then, his father has been taking care of him and his little sister on his own. Without the always cheerful Lila, there would be little sunshine in the small flat.

Will Gmehling’s hero is almost 14 and he is at odds with himself and the world. Because he has to share a few measly square metres with a little girl, he rides his junk bike for hours through the dreary neighbourhood. He has no friends and school bores him. What he likes – cool old cars – leaves the others cold. And he finds himself unattractive, even though he would so much like to be desirable, because Stuxx is in love! As if by itself, his bike rides into the street where Luzie Karsunke lives.
And then suddenly a lot happens at once when Stuxx – sometimes voluntarily, sometimes involuntarily – gives up his old role as an observer, becomes active and realises that he is being seen. By someone in his class whom he likes. And then: by Luzie Karsunke!

With Stuxx, Will Gmehling has created a touching young character who is defined by the experience of being abandoned and by a longing for closeness, love and reconciliation with himself and the world.

Peter Hammer Verlag

Young Adult Fiction

Original title: STUXX
Age 13+
approx. 288 pp | € 17
hc | 140 x 210 mm
Publication: February 2026

Author: Will Gmehling

All rights available

Awards

Press Reviews

“Yes, Gmehling can write young adult fiction too!” – The Jury, Leselotse Bestsellers List / Börsenblatt

“Will Gmehling credibly depicts a world he knows very well himself; a boy who is coming of age, struggling with a sense of loss and searching for his own path.” – Katrin Hörnlein / DIE ZEIT

“Gmehling’s first young adult novel is exactly the sort of book a 13-year-old needs.” – Susanne Rikl / kommbuch.com

“It’s the characters in Will Gmehling’s novel who have stolen my heart.” – Ulf Cronenberg / jugendbuchtipps

“A book that inspires courage and avoids clichés.” – Book of the Month Jury / German Academy for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

“Stuxx finds a way to put into words what’s going on inside him. It’s not that he’s a completely different person by the end, but his view of his own face and of the world has changed.” – Franz Lettner / Ö1 ex libris

“An incredibly moving novel that sensitively explores a boy and his longing for stability, closeness and connection.” – Gaby Friebel / Bangerang

“With sensitivity and a touch of mischief, Will Gmehling tells the story of a young observer who, bit by bit and sometimes by accident, takes control of his life.” – Jury for ‘The Best 7’ / Deutschlandfunk

“Even in his first novel for young adults, Will Gmehling shows just how much he cares for his protagonists.” – Elisabeth Eggenberger / Buch&Maus

“Will Gmehling focuses on a character on the margins of society, without stigmatising poverty. Stuxx is a likeable hero who stumbles through life, yet is also caught and supported. Powerful language, spiced with a touch of wit and a dash of fantasy, all add up to a ‘nomination-worthy’ debut young adult novel.” – Robert Elstner / EKZ

“Will Gmehling is an author who strikes exactly the right note to make his characters come across as completely natural.” – Britta Kiersch / Buchladen Neuer Weg

“With sensitivity, empathy and humour, Gmehling portrays his endearing Stuxx as a ‘communication genius’ of a very special kind.” – Andrea Schnepf / Eselsohr

“Will Gmehling has already demonstrated his flair for those on the margins of society in many of his writings … Here he demonstrates it once again, with the precise yet empathetic manner in which he traces Stuxx’s trials and tribulations.” – Kathrin Wexberg / 1001 Buch

“A captivatingly beautiful coming-of-age story.” – Katja Bergmann / gelesenundgehoert

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