Looks

May 1, 2008
Gr 8 Up-This gripping tale of revenge goes beyond the stereotypical "outsiders get even" story. Meghan and Aimee are on opposite ends of the outcast spectrum. Meghan is extremely overweight, and it is more than hinted at that she has a binge-eating disorder. Aimee, on the other hand, is classic anorexic. Both girls have been hurt by one of the popular girls at school. They join forces to bring Cara down in a stunning bit of public humiliation. Themes of invisibility, familial dysfunction, and fitting in are all explored to some extent. Although the plot moves along at a fairly quick pace and keeps readers engaged, the ultimate conclusion is unsettling, to say the least. Aimee and Meghan become friends, but remain invisible to the other students at school. Cara rewrites what happened in her own head to remove any guilt from herself, and there is no resolution at all to a confrontation between the English teacher and the basketball coach, which looked to be a promising plot thread concerning sports versus academics. Neither girl receives any help with her eating disorder, even though Meghan's mother appears to be loving and Aimee's reaches out to her. Despite the loose ends, the story will make readers think about the various issues touched upon, and it is difficult to put down."Robin Henry, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2008
Meghan Ball is fat. Hands like a ham fat. Aimee Zorn is blade thin. Anorexic. Despite her size, Meghan can will herself to invisibilityunless a certain pack of boys latches on to her like they do sometimes, mocking and whispering dirty things in her ear. Aimee can barely control her fury, which she channels into her poetry and quells by starving herself. Both girls have, in their time, been befriended by self-satisfied Cara, who dumped Meghan as she grew bigger and more recently stole Aimees poetry and passed it off as her own. Now, an unlikely, uneasy alliance is formed, and itstime for Meghan and Aimeeto get even. George, a first-time novelist, covers familiar territory hereweight issues, peer torment, the mercurial nature of relationships. Yet it is not so much what she writes about but how she does it that makes this a standout. At times usingan omniscient narration and cutting away superficiality, allowing her characters to be shown in stark relief, George knows how to writeanguish. It is this ability that alsoinforms her depiction of adult characters, whose tarnished lives elicit sympathy from readers, even as the characters mostly feel contempt. There is a strong, almost dangerous quality here; even though you know whats going to happen next, theres a jolt of fearful anticipation before it plays out.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)