Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

45 POUNDS (MORE OR LESS)

Kelly Barson

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR -- This tender-hearted, funny story is NOT an eatingdisorder novel! It's light-hearted, realistic, and features a great romance.

Ann Galardi is 16—and a size 16. She's always struggled with her weight, and her perfect size 6 mother. This summer, it's worse: Aunt Jackie's getting married in August, and Ann's her bridesmaid. She decides she's losing 45 pounds in two months—or else. Thus begins a rollicking odyssey that features an infomercial diet plan, unfortunate dance lessons, a series of mortifying encounters with an adorable guy, and some revelations about Ann's not so perfect mother. 45 Pounds is a sparkling, thoughtful debut with a great message: You can be happy and in agreat relationship without being model-thin. FILLS A NEED -- There are almost no novels with plus-sized protagonists who are just average girls. Ann isn't an outcast, she doesn't wind up in the hospital, and she even gets the guy WITHOUT losing all of the weight.

SUBTLE MESSAGE -- Ann learns by trial and error how to eat and exercise sensibly; she also learns that her mother (an eating disorder survivor) has her own issues, and that the A-List clique isn't what it seems (yes, there are mean girls, but one of them becomes a good friend). And it's all couched in light, readable prose that makes you laugh. It's almost an anti-message book.

FOR ROMANCE FANS AND RELUCTANT GIRL READERS -- This is just right for those girls who love Susane Colasanti and Stephanie Perkins: coming-of-age stories that are easy and satisfying, with a good underlying message of self-discovery.

Available products
Book Published 2013-07-01 by Viking
Book Published 2013-07-01 by Viking

Comments

Deliciously relatable with a lot of laughter on the side.

45 Pounds (More or Less) is a powerful story of the societal pressures to be thin in a culture where beauty is viewed as skinny. Barson’s first novel is a look at women of several generations and how they deal with the pressures of body image and food. The underlying themes of relationships and family, the importance of outward appearance, and self-confidence are the focus in this novel. Ann, the main character, undergoes a powerful transformation internally—as well as externally—as she discovers her mother’s secret, and realizations about her loved ones help her understand the complications of life. Barson offers up a powerful and poignant novel about hope and love in the midst of common and controversial issues about weight gain, weight loss, and the ability to persevere despite our flaws and predispositions to “eating,” or not eating, our emotions. Barson presents a balance throughout the novel demonstrating the reasonable way to deal with issues women face every day. Readers will relate to any of the characters in this story. It is a book readers will not want to wait to finish, and when it is done, they will pick it up again.—Mirta Espinola

While lessons are offered, they are deliciously coated in readable prose and a compelling plot