The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

by Carolyn Mackler
NPMS Berglund bookshelf, paperback 244 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

In the past, I've had students drawn to this book because of the title. Now that I've finally read it, there are a number of ways I could booktalk it . . . Virginia is overweight and self-conscious about being a "fat" girl. She perceives the rest of her family as being normal and herself as odd-person out. Named after Virginia Woolf (her siblings are Anais and Byron), she prefers magazines, television, and snacking rather than the things her parents would like to see her doing.

I enjoyed this book, but most especially her interactions with her new doctor. His insight and emphasis on being healthy (rather than thin) make an impact on Virginia. As she learns to pay attention to her self and others, she begins to think less of her weight and more of her life.

I wrote some other notes and observations in my teaching journal, but I'll just say that this book was pleasantly surprising.

The trip to Seattle, her conversation with her dad, her letter to Anais . . . there were many good moments in this book!