Skinny

Gr 7–10—In her debut novel (Point, 2012), Cooner offers a fictional account of her own experience with weight-loss surgery. Ever Davies is 15 and overweight—302 pounds on her 5 foot 6 inch frame. She's miserable, compounded by the voice in her head ("Skinny") that tells her constantly that she's is fat, ugly, and unlovable. Ever started eating after her mother died when she was ten. Now her father is remarried to a woman with two teenage daughters. Ever feels like she's living a Cinderella story, but that her prince (childhood friend Jackson) will never see past her obesity to the person she really is. The teenager has great grades, a beautiful singing voice, and a best friend in Rat, a geeky boy who has been loyal to her since elementary school. But her obesity and Skinny's vicious insults depress her. After a particularly humiliating episode at school, Ever decides that she must go through gastric bypass surgery. Skinny leads listeners through Ever's recovery and realization that a happier life is within her grasp. An interview with the author about her own struggles with obesity concludes the audiobook. Elizabeth Morton narrates, voicing Skinny with an especially evil touch that reflects the self-loathing that Ever must overcome to become truly healthy and happy. This novel will hit home with teenagers consumed with self-image, and adds another dimension to books about teens with eating disorders.—Julie Paladino, East Chapel Hill High School, NC