Feeling Freakish: How to Feel Comfortable in Your Own Skin by Veronique le Jeune

Jeune, V. L., Eliakim, P., & Daly, M. (2004). Feeling Freakish? How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin. (p. 112). Harry N. Abrams.

ISBN: 0810991640

Classification: book, nonfiction

Genre: nonfiction

Age Level: 9th-12th grade

Subjects: body image, nonfiction, identity

Reader's Annotation: This is a book for anyone who has ever wanted to stay home because they felt ugly.

Summary: The authors of Feeling Freakish have delivered some straight talk about body image and identity for teen audiences. Mixed with plenty of illustrations, the information is straight forward but not overly serious. The book is divided into three sections. The first describes various ways in which many teens feel ugly. The second section covers reasons why teens feel ugly. The third section offers plenty of suggestions for thinking positively, getting active and overcoming the trap of depression over feeling ugly.

Reviews / Awards:

From Publisher's Weekly
Four paperback titles kick off the Sunscreen series of self-help books aimed at teens....Finally, Feeling Freakish? by V ronique le Jeune and Philippe Eliakim, with Daly, illus. by Princess H, tackles self-esteem issues and ends with quotes from real kids. Cartoons mix a comic touch with compassion: a girl confesses to a boy, "I can't go out with you because my ears stick out... I'm sure you understand."

Author Info:
Veronique le Jeune's Goodread's Page

Potential Hotspots:

none

Readalikes:

• Too Stressed to Think? by Annie Fox and Ruth Kirschner
  
• Going Out without Freaking Out by Tim Baker
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
While certainly this won't be a top choice for every teen reader, it's a solid book to have in the collection. For the teen looking for this sort of information, Feeling Freakish is a good quick read, full of information.

Other:

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Evaluation:

3 stars