I WAS A 15-YEAR-OLD BLIMP

by Patti Stren ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1985

A ""problem novel"" that successfully integrates its problem--bulemia--into the action, and delivers an engaging story as well. Gabby isn't really all that fat, but she's pretty plump. Her attempts to go on a grapefruit diet are quashed by her mother (who's slim and trim and will never understand). Instead, she drags Gabby to the doctor, who sets up a ""sensible"" weight loss plan which Gabby wants no part of. Hunk Cal Armstrong will never notice her unless she gets skinny quick. Her best friend Nicole teaches Gabby her own dieting trick of throwing up after meals, and after a cruel trick played on her by classmates at the school dance, Gabby goes on an eating binge and tries out Nicole's suggestion. It works, and Gabby is on her way to a binge-purge junkie, but finally feeling ""in control."" When her parents find out, they send her to a fat camp, which she initially hates. But talks with her counselor and bunkmates help her to admit her problem and deal with it. In a not-so-surprising ending, she returns home skinny and confident, and realizes that she's much more interested in guy-next-door-type Mel Lampel (who's been her pal through thick and thin). Stren is treating a serious subject here, but her story doesn't bog down; its tone and appealing, spirited heroine are a winning combination.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION