Fat Angie

Charlton-Trujillo, E. E. Fat Angie. 2013. 264p. ISBN 0763661198. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Angie has never been thin, but she’s always had her sister and her adopted brother to protect her from bullies and those who torment the weak and the different. Her sister was dedicated and worked hard towards her goals. A champion basketball player, she turned down a full scholarship and joined the military before being deployed to Iraq.

Nine months ago, she went missing in Iraq and has not been seen since. Angie’s world ended on that day. Called Fat Angie at school by the well-meaning kids and worse names by beautiful Stacey and her clique, Angie attempted suicide during a school assembly, in front of everyone. With divorced parents who don’t care, with a brother now on the skids as well, and with her sister gone, Angie thought she had nothing left to live for and wanted to make a statement. Only she didn’t die. She survived her attempt, and had to return to school after a bout with therapy. Her miserable existence continues, and only the hope that her sister will be found alive sustains her.

Then KC Romance arrives in her little Ohio town. KC is everything Angie is not: bold, outspoken, pretty, thin. But, like Angie, she’s got several secrets. She’s a cutter. She’s gay-girl gay. And she’s attracted to Angie, whom she does not see as fat but rather as exceptional. With someone new in her life, someone who loves her for whom she is, Angie’s life has just gotten more complicated.

This book really has it all: bullying, divorce, homosexuality, body issues, harassment, parental neglect, self-harm, depression, sports competition, and intense sibling rivalry. Readers interested in any of these topics will find their fill by reading the sad, tragic, but ultimately redeeming life of fat Angie.

Kiss of Broken Glass

Kuderick, Madeleine. Kiss of Broken Glass. 2014. 224p. ISBN 0062306561. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Fifteen-year-old Kenna has been brought by the police to the psychiatric ward of the hospital where she will be hospitalized for the next 72 hours. Discovered cutting herself in the girls’ bathroom at school, she finds herself in a sterile and hostile environment with others like her who are experiencing life traumas. Only, Kenna’s not sure she should even be here. That little kiss of the blade on her wrist was nothing, and she’s got the scars to prove to her friends that she belong in the cutter’s club.

Now that she’s locked up, however, Kenna must take a good look at her life and decide whether she even needs help. After all, unlike some of the other girls in her group, she hasn’t been molested. She doesn’t have a very dysfunctional family. She doesn’t do drugs or alcohol. She cuts because it provides her with a high and relieves the tension. She cuts because she didn’t have a reason to cut.

Other teens are here too. Donya, who is also a cutter, is experiencing  her fifth trip to the ward. Skylar, who’s anorexic and a cutter. Jag, who punched his stepfather in the face and sports cigarette burns on his arm. Each has a problem, and each can teach a lesson to Kenna. If only she’ll listen instead of seeking the next opportunity to cut herself …

Written in verse, this novel reads quickly and packs a powerful emotional punch as the reader sees all of Kenna’s thoughts and feelings towards her cutting.

If you liked this book, consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, We Were Liars, If I Stay, Zoe Letting Go, Black Box, or The Vanishing Season. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.

Zoe Letting Go

Price, Nora. Zoe Letting Go. 2012. 279p. ISBN 978-1-59514-466-9. FIC PRI on the library shelves.

Sixteen years old Zoe Propp is unceremoniously driven and dropped off by her mother at Twin Birch, a facility that welcomes teen dealing with anorexia. Zoe has no idea why she’s here. Surely this must be a mistake. The other five girls that are here clearly belong as their bones stick out and they are clearly too skinny. But she’s not. So why is she here, instead of back home spending the summer vacation with her best friend Elise?

Throughout her stay at Twin Birch, Zoe begins the process of exploring what has happened to herself and to Elise, and learns to deal with the other girls in the facility. She passes the time by writing letters to Elise, since telephone calls, cell phones, and the internet are not allowed. Will Zoe finally realize why she is here before it’s too late?

If you liked this book, consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, We Were Liars, If I Stay, Black Box, The Vanishing Season, or Kiss of Broken Glass. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.