This fictional diary of an eighth-grader is frighteningly realistic—and all too relevant. In Judi Leibowitz, Newman (Eating Our Hearts Out, 1993, etc.) has created a character who speaks for girls who are unhappy with their bodies, who diet obsessively from a very young age, and who often hurt themselves, physically and emotionally, in their quest for ``the perfect body.'' Like most of these girls, Judi has a completely normal figure but imagines herself to be obese. Nearly every entry of the diary she is keeping as an assignment for English is about her weight. Since the book is entirely from Judi's perspective, the reader only discovers that Judi is not fat from occasional hints—like when a classmate draws a picture and Judi doesn't recognize herself because she doesn't ``look fat at all.'' The girl Judi idolizes, Nancy Pratt, is eventually hospitalized for her bulimia, and Judi herself experiments with purging and laxatives when her dieting proves ineffectual. Judi disgusts herself, but she is powerless to stop her obsessive behavior until she shows her diary to her mother, who helps her get counseling. With Kate Moss's bony hips sticking out of billboards and magazines everywhere, girls can't hear enough about how attractive and normal their own bodies are. Kudos to Newman. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 1994
ISBN: 0-399-22760-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1994
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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An endearing protagonist runs the first, fast leg of Reynolds' promising relay.
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Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw feels like he’s been running ever since his dad pulled that gun on him and his mom—and used it.
His dad’s been in jail three years now, but Ghost still feels the trauma, which is probably at the root of the many “altercations” he gets into at middle school. When he inserts himself into a practice for a local elite track team, the Defenders, he’s fast enough that the hard-as-nails coach decides to put him on the team. Ghost is surprised to find himself caring enough about being on the team that he curbs his behavior to avoid “altercations.” But Ma doesn’t have money to spare on things like fancy running shoes, so Ghost shoplifts a pair that make his feet feel impossibly light—and his conscience correspondingly heavy. Ghost’s narration is candid and colloquial, reminiscent of such original voices as Bud Caldwell and Joey Pigza; his level of self-understanding is both believably childlike and disarming in its perception. He is self-focused enough that secondary characters initially feel one-dimensional, Coach in particular, but as he gets to know them better, so do readers, in a way that unfolds naturally and pleasingly. His three fellow “newbies” on the Defenders await their turns to star in subsequent series outings. Characters are black by default; those few white people in Ghost’s world are described as such.
An endearing protagonist runs the first, fast leg of Reynolds' promising relay. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5015-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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PROFILES
Bullying is a topic that never lacks for interest, and here Preller concentrates on the kids who try to ignore or accommodate a bully to keep themselves safe. Victim David’s pain is evident from the first moment newcomer Eric sees him, but he tries not to acknowledge the reality before him. His mother is trying for a fresh start in this Long Island community, as his father has succumbed to schizophrenia and left her and their two boys on their own. Griffin, the bullying instigator, has charisma of sorts; he is a leader and yet suffers under his father’s bullying and aggression. For Eric to do the right thing is neither easy nor what he first wants to do, and the way he finds support among his classmates is shown in logical and believable small steps. Eminently discussable as a middle-school read-aloud, the narrative offers minimal subplots to detract from the theme. The role of girls is downplayed, except for classmate Mary, who is essential to the resolution, enhancing appeal across gender lines. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-37906-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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