In Paley's YA book two very different and somewhat one dimensional girls head off to fat camp. Wil, short for Wilhelmina, is the overweight daughter of two health club guru's and an embarassment to her parents. They send to her fat camp against her will where she meets April. April's a poor girl who saved money for a year to attend. (Far-fetched given that the camp is $7,000 and April is from a poor family.)
Paired up as roommates the inevitable hating each other relationship slowly (and predictably) evolves into friendship. The book rolls along pretty well until the ending, where everything is wrapped up in a neat bow that doesn't ring true to the book.
Too many cliches and predictable outcomes fuel this fat camp tale.
This real life notebook kept by 4 freshmen at Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School is a great look into their lives, as they experienced it. The book is mostly un-edited and produced in the girls actual handwriting with drawings and whatever else they saw fit to put in it at the time.
Ending in their junior year the girls show all aspects of themselves from whiny to giving, likeable and not, the way we all really are in high school. It's a great summer read & one that's hard to put down.
This book is great. I loved it. A father and son, both lose their way and find a new one, together. An awesome story of family and the meaning of love and forgiveness.
At 684 pages, this is not for the faint of heart, but I love biographies. The Life has tons of Lennon information I hadn't heard before and it seems to be really well researched. Not light summer reading, but for me it was worth the time.
I'm a long-time fan of Augusten Burroughs, but this one seemed a little more forced, like little bits and pieces just patched together. It's not his best, but if you're a fan of Burroughs, it's worth the read.
