45 Pounds (More or Less)

Sixteen-year-old Ann Galardi wants to lose weight: she can't fit into department store clothes, and her skinny, weight-obsessed mother constantly buys her smaller sizes as "incentive." But it's only when Ann's cool aunt Jackie asks her to be a bridesmaid in her (lesbian) wedding that, with dress shopping looming, Ann resolves to lose forty-five pounds in two months. Her journey is funny and relatable -- if also difficult and depressing. There's eating the weight-loss food she orders off an infomercial ("kind of grainy, kind of tomatoey, but mostly like a sponge"); embarrassing herself in front of her crush ("I hurl nasty-tasting brown liquid all over Jon's used-to-be pure white and clean Nikes"); and getting motivated to exercise ("I decide to download good running songs first. It takes a while. . .I'll run tomorrow"). Debut author Barson writes with a light touch, but unflinchingly confronts stereotypes about overweight people: an irate customer at the pretzel shop where Ann works, for example, cruelly accuses her of eating all the pretzels. The novel doesn't minimalize Ann's struggles, either, illustrating how her obsession with food is tied to her emotions and, for much of the book, her self-worth. But once she recognizes how food affects her life and that of her family, Ann finally understands that she isn't defined by her weight -- a realization that will inspire readers of any size. rachel l. smith