Mara Zonderman 2008-08-26

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Ok, this book is a little pat in some places. Turning your life around is probably not as easy as Carolyn Mackler would make it out to be. That being said, this is a really good book. Virginia (or Ginny) is a believable, sympathetic, likable character. Her problems are real, and her solutions to them are fun, if not entirely realistic. But they work for her, and I, at least, was willing to go along for the ride.

A good read aside, Mackler also deals with some serious issues in the book, including date rape and eating disorders (no, neither apply directly to Ginny). These I thought she dealt with very well, and very realistically, showing that not everything wraps up in a neat package at the end, and not every problem can always be solved.

Overall, this is just a good story about a girl who manages to find ways to empower herself despite not always (or usually) getting a lot of support from her family. But she has help from other people around her and figures out how to be herself, and, more importantly, how to be comfortable being herself.

I. Jamaluddin 2008-06-01

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Virginia Shreves is a high school sophomore in Manhattan who feels out of place in her family with her perfect university-student brother (Columbia), her older sister in the Peace Corps, her psychologist mother who wants a perfect family and her skinny-women obsessed father. She lives by her "Fat Girl Code of Conduct" regarding her friend Froggy the Fourth, so he wouldn't be embarrassed being seen with her though they hang out in her penthouse apartment.

Her life follows this route of hiding herself until her brother is suspended for date rape. This allows her to see that her life and family isn't always perfect and to stand up/rebel against her mom.

I found this book a good read, where the consequences of date rape are explored (though not from the victim's point of view, but the rapist's family's point of view) as well as dealing with friends leaving and finding your own niche. Other experiences of growing up - eating disorders, self-harm - are touched upon though I wish more had been done with Virginia's self-harm because it's a very important part of growing up. I read this book when I was 19, so a part of me was cynical, but I could still relate with feeling alienated from my classmates and other aspects.

Nicke Masoner 2008-04-13

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I love this book! I got it for my 18th birthday from a friend who thought the title was funny and knew that I had always had a sore spot about my weight so she decided this would be a fun book for me. I thought I would read it once and put it on the shelf to never give it a second thought, but I was totally wrong. I fell in love with the characters and all they went through, not just her weight problem but her family's situation too. I really though teen books were behind me, but now I see that books like this, only make me feel better about myself. I recommend it for adults as well as kids.

Erika Stewart 2008-02-24

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I read this book a while ago and I remember it with a passion. It was one of the first books I read when I got into reading. I HIGHLY recommended this book. I LOVE this book. Its so special and the author puts things in a way that you can fell that being your brother, and your family. I will also say the ending is get. I have to say that was one of the best ending ever.

Mid-Praire Teen 2008-01-08

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The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, written by Carolyn Mackler, is a book that will not only appeal to people who are different from what the "normal or perfect" image of what a person should be but to anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong. Not only does it show you that it is okay to be different but it also shows how you can be your own person away from your family and/or friends. It is an inspirational story that could very easily be a true story for someone in the world even though it is fiction. No matter what you look like or what you feel you can easily connect with one of the many diverse characters in this story. Whether it is the main character Virginia Shreves, her brother Byron, Froggy Welsh the Fourth, or any of the other vastly different characters. All in all this is an excellent book.
The story starts with you finding out about Virginia's life and everything that has been taking place in it recently. However, the plot quickly moves away from something that sounds like a journal into a well thought out novel. The conflict is quickly presented and the rest of the story keeps up the pace through the rest of the book. You see Virginia in many different stages of accepting herself and not thinking that the rest of her family is perfect. From "everything would be better if I would just disappear" to "I can't/won't believe my brother did that" and then ending in a happiness that she finds in herself. The story line pulls you in from the first sentence at the beginning of the book and keeps you glued to every page until the very last period of the book.
Overall I thought this book was extremely interesting and well written. It had a good balance of what Virginia is thinking and what others are saying about her or about her family. Mackler made the character, Virginia, likable and just made her seem like a real person with real problems. Anyone who reads this book will most likely have different idea about what ideal and perfect means after they finish the book. I definitely recommend this book to every person who has ever felt like they don't belong or feels inferior to others.