Plastic

March 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 Fifteen-year-old Jack takes on the unethical sector of the plastic-surgery culture that preys on teens and womens overly self-critical views of their bodies. Motivated by the birthday gift his friends mother wants to give hera boob jobhe researches the procedure and then goes to talk to plastic surgeons. The son of activists, he has the skills and support to plan a media campaign. In this entry in the Orca Soundings series, which targets reluctant readers, a lot happens in a fairly brief narrative, but much of it will provoke rich discussion: besides the ethics of enhancement surgery, Harvey explores differences between siblings personalities, offers a realistic transsexual character, and gives Jack a chance to work through his relationship with the teenage girl he thinks of as his nongirlfriend. A good addition to collections of contemporary fiction exploring real issues.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)