Perfect ****

Friend, Natasha. Perfect. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed, 2004.

Winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature.

Isabelle's father died a few years back, and since then the family has been a mess. Her mother is unable to get over it, and still cries herself to sleep. Isabelle's way of coping is to make herself throw up.

She must attend weekly Group sessions with other girls with eating disorders. In the Group is Ashley, a popular girl at school. Isabelle starts to become friends with Ashley, and their get togethers involve binging and purging together. As the story progresses, Isabelle starts to get a handle on herself and she also starts to demand that others do the same.

This was a great book, recommended for girls. I would particularly recommend this book to girls with body image issues. This publisher is a non-profit. Their goal, according to information at the back of the book, is to publish "with the intention of making humane impact on society, in the belief that good writing can transform the human heart and spirit." Their books all have a purpose, and that is certainly something worth supporting!

Grind **?

Walters, Eric. Grind. Custer, WA: Orca, 2004.

I wasn't sure how to determine how many stars to give this book. It isn't a literary masterpiece. There isn't much plot, and there isn't any character development. BUT, that isn't the point of this book. This publisher publishes books geared toward teens that are relutant readers, which would be defined as someone that doesn't like to read. These books are also great for someone that just isn't reading up to their grade level, but still wants to read a book geared toward their age. There are other similar titles by this publisher. I will list them as I get more. These are something that can be recommended to reluctant or struggling readers.

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