Mackler, C. (2003). The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. (p. 246). Candlewick Press.ISBN: 0763619582
Classification: book, fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Age Level: 9th-12th grade
Subjects: body image, family, fiction, friends, identity, love story, siblings
Reader's Annotation: Virginia is the odd one out in her brilliant, blonde family, but she learns there are some good points to being unique.
Summary: Virginia often feels like she must have been adopted into her thin, blond and brilliant family. She thinks she is fairly smart, though not brilliant. She's definitely not blond and she's definitely not thin. She's fairly certain her family is embarrassed about the way she looks and she desperately wants to gain their approval. Virginia tries very hard to diet and to behave in a way that would make her parents proud, until something terrible happens. Her brother, her hero, does something unforgivable. For awhile things are pretty rough for Virginia, but ultimately, she learns to strike her own path and to be true to her nature.
Reviews / Awards:
allreaders.com ReviewCarolyn Mackler's website
Potential Hotspots:
kissing, fondling, masturbating, rapeReadalikes:
- Does My Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah
- Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
Virginia will be a familiar and comforting character to any teen who has ever felt like a stranger in her own family, or who has ever felt like she needed to diet to improve her life. Though the first half of the book is almost difficult to read, because Ginny is so desperate for approval, she does come around and become a positive, real role model by the end of the book.
Other:
This book might hold appeal for tweens as well, though because of some of the sexual overtones and the date rape situation, I'd use caution in recommending it to younger readers.
Evaluation:
4 stars
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