My Ideal Boyfriend Is a Croissant

Gr 7-10–Sixteen-year-old Bluebelle, known as BB, is large and not ashamed of her size. After having a serious asthma attack, BB is told to lose weight and start exercising. She strikes a deal with her mother: keep a food diary, go to the gym, and arrange an apprenticeship at Planet Coffee (where she works) and she can quit school. Throughout the summer, BB uses her food diary to write about her love for her little sister Dove, her thoughts on her parents’ separation, her crush on fellow Planet Coffee employee Max, and her love of food. When Dove is badly hurt in a parkour accident, BB is devastated. She struggles with feelings of guilt and her inability to open up to others. As the summer draws to a close, BB has to choose what she wants from life and not what anyone else wants for her. BB’s honesty, her comfort with her own body, and her love for her family and best friend shine through. By the end of the story, she may have lost weight, but that is incidental.