Perfect, by Natasha Friend

Title:Perfect
Author:Natasha Friend
Publish Date:September 16, 2004
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Pages:232 pages
ISBN:1571316515
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $7.95
Annotation: After a family tragedy Isabella is discovered purging her dinner and is sent to recover in a clinic. There she meets the most popular girl in school, and together they travel a destructive path...

Summary: With her family still coming to grips with the death of her father, Isabelle's little sister walks in on her throwing up her dinner. Though Isabelle Isabelle gets sent to a recovery group. When she goes to her new group she is floored to find Ashley, the most beautiful & popular girl in school (and also object of her crushes affection), is bulimic too. They become unlikely friends when Ashley takes her as a disciple and they begin a destructive path to perfection.

Evaluation: Whether you struggle with an eating disorder or not, every girl deals with the pressures of how they look. This book does a beautiful job of making you empathetic to her while at the same time educating you on eating disorders. It was good, especially when I was having a hard time finding complimentary titles to Wintergirls.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Eating Disorders, Toxic Friendships, Loss of a Parent

Reason this book was chosen: Anorexia is more widely covered then bulimia, but just as lethal and widespread.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publish Date: February 23, 2010
Publisher: Speak
Pages: (Paperback) 288
ISBN: 014241557X
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Price: Paperback $9.99

Annotation: After the death of her best friend, Lia is forced to deal with her own struggle with an eating disorder, or else face a similar fate.

Summary: Lia and Cassie have been friends since childhood. They make a pact to be "the skinniest girls in school" but both have different yet equally dangerous ways of reaching that goal. After going separate ways as friends, Cassie passes away and Lia is forced to face the loss of her best friend, the reality of her sickness (anorexia and cutting), and the relationships she has with her broken family and people around her. With the ghost of Cassie following her around, will Lia be able to break the cycle of self-destruction and save herself from the only path that lays in front of her: death?

Evaluation: A triumph worthy of textbook status for people dealing with or knowing people with eating or cutting disorders.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bulimia, Anorexia, Cutting, Broken Families

Reason this Book was Chosen: Though chalk full of "tips" it's supersedes being a manual for girls looking for a how to guide by shear worth and relatable content for girls who really need help and not wanting to feel alone. It gets inside the head of a girl stricken by a disease that is often misunderstood. It's beautifully emotional and a definite page turner!

Book Trailer: Official

Amazing Fan Made Trailers:

Gossip Girl #1 (Bk. 1 in Series), Cecily Von Ziegesar

Title:Gossip Girl
Author:Cecily Von Ziegesar
Publish Date:April 1, 2002
Publisher:Poppy; 1 edition
Pages:199 pages
ISBN:0316910333
Classification:
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $7.91

Annotation: In a Manhattan upper crust Private High School being a teen takes on new meaning. Everybody has it all, plus an extra dose of dysfunction, jealously, sex, drugs, and all drama in between. And don't forget, Gossip Girl knows what you are doing. xoxo

Summary: In New York, jet-setter teens have it all, including a wealth of of problems. A narrator who spreads gossip remains unknown, while the problems keep on getting spilled. Follow super cool Serena, coming out of an expulsion and, Nate, sexy and stoned, and Blair, popular queen of their school and ex-best friend of Serena. The dish on everything is being gossiped to everyone. No secret is too precious as these spoiled and broken teens grapple with both the luxuries and the trauma of being the elite few that seems like a fairy tale on the outside.

Evaluation: This book was turned into a TV show that reigns as the most controversial teen show on TV. It's nasty (in the best way), sexual, drugs are everywhere, and the kids are so freaking spoiled it makes you feel guilty just watching it. This book (and the show for that matter) shows the downside to all the money and elite living. And it shows that even the rich have problems. The real value lies in realizing that a teen in this situation could really benefit from reading it before actually doing these things. And the bottom line is, reading it is a lot more fun then actually suffering through it!

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Gossip. Gossip. Gossip. Seem Harmless? Not so good actually...being careful what you spill is a valuable lesson.

Reason this book was chosen: The book has the effect of gossip itself once you enter it's hard to extract yourself; teens will devour this whole. The open-ended conclusion promises a follow-up. Also, it is hard to discern the book from the TV show anymore (as they are so intertwined). I liked the idea of touting a title that is just as good as the mega hit it inspired.

Website: http://www.gossipgirl.net/series/

Identical, Ellen Hopkins

Title: Identical

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Publish Date: August 2008

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 576pp

ISBN: 1416950052

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 12 and up

Price: $12.95

Annotation: Kaeleigh and Reanne are identical twins, completely the same on the outside. But on the inside they have lead completely different lives.

Summary: Identical twins Kaeleigh and Reanne are daughters of a Norman Rockwell appearing family. With a mother on the campaign trailer and the father a judge this horrifying tale takes a dark turn. One sister is the object of fathers love. The other is always fighting for equal attention. But, when the reason becomes clear for the actual motives behind this misplaced love both sister need face reality and stand up for each other. Both sister are having troubles, both different, both desperate. Who will be the one to help the other one?

Evaluation: I can't say enough all the things I love about this book. The fact that it's written in verse is stunning. It's wonderful to see expression in this form, I often write my feelings in verse. This book was so emotional and seeing it from the perspective of identical twins was mind-blowing. There is so much dysfunction in this book it makes it hard to breathe. But, it was awfully honest and a great read for someone who is looking for a book that can help them feel not so alone.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Standing up to your abuser, asking for help, drugs, feeling out of control, abusive and absent parents, issues with siblings

Reason this book was chosen: Ellen Hopkins is amazing. Her subject matter is frank and unapologetic. And her style is beautiful.

Website: http://www.ellenhopkins.com/

Fan Made Book Trailer:

Interview with Ellen Hopkins: