Genre: Realistic Fiction
# of Pages: 276
RAC: Yes
Iowa Teen Award Winner
Rosemary has struggled with her weight for a long time, but whenever she gets upset she turns to food. Her aunt constantly reminds her to lose weight, which doesn’t seem to help inspire her either. One New Year’s she decides she is ready to take control of her life and begins dieting and exercising, not always in the best manner. As she begins to lose weight she finds more confidence than she ever knew she had before. It isn’t long before she has a new best friend, a boyfriend, and overall happiness. That all comes crashing down when she learns that her mother is battling Cancer. Her mother is not the best at opening up and sharing her feelings, which makes it all the more difficult for Rosemary to discuss the matter with her. Can she help her mother cope with this devastating disease? Can she do it without falling back into her bad eating habits?
Rosemary’s story is something any teenager could relate to because she has many insecurities and things she would like to change about herself. She reaches the point where she is mature enough to realize she has the power to take control and make changes to her life if she wishes, but is not ready to deal with truly tough issues yet. Rosemary’s romance is sweet because her boyfriend likes her for herself and not what size she wears. There are references to his family that shed light on his endearing personality. Rosemary goes from wishing she could stop eating sweets to finding ways to help her mother during this difficult time. It is a coming of age story that readers will enjoy.
Some parents don’t want to force their child in certain things. They simply take the help of such books, which have examples like how to lose weight. These are kind of inspirational books.