cover Title: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Author: Carolyn Mackler

type of book: YA Fiction and Fantasy
call number: YA/Fic/FAn

Summary:
Virginia Shreves is both the misfit of her school and her own family. Her famous teen psychologist mother, software genius father, brother Byron and perfect, popular older sister Anais are the wonderful nuclear family. Virginia is convinced she was switched at birth and doesn't belong to the Shreve family because she is not popular and looks nothing like the rest of her family.

Because Virginia weighs more than the rest of her family and classmates, she decides to withdraw more from life and isolates herself almost always in her bedroom. Her mother keeps pressuring her about her weight since her mother wants the perfect family with no problems. To make things worse for her sophomore year, Virginia's only friend is living far away from New York this year in Washington because of her parents' work. Depressed and using food more and more as a comfort, Virginia creates the Fat Girl Code of Conduct and will live her life by it. However, when something really goes wrong in her family, concerning her brother, it seems as if Virginia will be the only to deal with it and maybe help her family along the way.

I would recommend this book!

Why?
Virginia's is an honest and funny viewpoint to use to tell this story. Her real emotions about problems like body image, dating, and family relationships will appeal to teen girls in grades 8 and up. The rules and lists that Virginia make up throughout the book to deal with her life are funny, yet they speak of real and important issues.

Other suggested reading:
  • Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
  • the Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison
  • Look for these and other titles in our !

    Employee Initials: KS Review Date: January 2004

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