Although teen readers have been devouring stories in which angst-filled heroes and heroines navigate the body issues of puberty (“Why don't I have breasts?” and “Why am I so much taller/shorter than everyone else?") but few, if any, books explored adolescence from the perspective of a plus-sized protagonist. Until now.
Publishers have been releasing dozens of novels aimed at plus-sized teens—and these books are being met with mixed reviews. One of the main objections to featuring plus sized heros in teen books is that these heroes may be validating obesity as an acceptable lifestyle choice. Young adult books which star plus-sized teens have been harshly criticized for promoting an unhealthy lifestyle—this debate has gone so far as to even reach discussion in the White House.
Supporters of the plus-sized teen fiction heroes insist that everyone knows that middle- and high-school years are tough and that anything that helps teens cope with adolescent life, including plus-sized heroes, is a good thing. Savvy teens can decide for themselves which side of the debate they're on by reading some of these plus-sized faves.
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff (EdgmontUSA, 2009, ISBN 1606840045)
Andy, an overweight high school sophomore is jeered at by his peers, overprotected by his mother, and ignored by his father. But when Andy joins the football team everything changes: he experiences parties, girls, and popularity; but his struggles aren't over – yet.
All About Vee by C. Leigh Purtill (Razorbill, 2008, ISBN 1595141804)
Veronica May (“Big Vee”) is a 217-pound aspiring actress who has the looks and confidence to make it big, bust she puts off college and her acting career to care for her widowed father. When dad announces his impending marriage, Vee feels replaced so she moves to Hollywood and finds a career and a Hollywood hunk without losing weight or herself.
Looks by Madeline George (Speak; reprint edition, 2009, ISBN 0142414190)
Two girls with eating disorders (Meghan is an extremely overweight binge-eater and Aimee is anorexic) join forces to get revenge against the popular girl who has hurt them both. This fast-paced story drives the story on to an unsettling conclusion in this gripping tale of revenge.
This Book Isn't Fat, It's Fabulous by Nina Beck (Point, 2009, ISBN 0545017041)
Riley Swan is brash, bold, and in-your-face. No pudgy wallflower: she has no problem kissing her best friend's crush or even bribing her father's lawyer. But Riley is about to be sent to New Horizons, a fat camp in New York where she struggles with boot camp without carbs and her attraction to Eric, who sees through her tough exterior.
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee (Speak; reprint edition, 2009, ISBN 0142414271)
Cursed with the nickname "Artichoke" after wearing an unflattering green jacket in the 6th grade, Rosemary Good copes with her peers' disdain by making food her friend. When she tops 200 pounds and befriends an A-list fitness-obsessed friend, wins the attraction of the boy she adores, and discovers that her single-parent mother has cancer, Rosemary decides to make some serious changes and lose weight. As she loses weight she finds a whole new perspective.
My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught (Bloombury USA Children's Books, reprint edition, 2009, ISBN 1599903628)
High-school senior Jamie is enormously, angrily, and sometimes, (oddly enough), delightfully overweight. In need of a college scholarship, she decides to write a controversial weekly column about being fat and soon she finds herself publicly fighting for her rights as a very fat girl.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L Going (Speak, 2004, ISBN 0142402087)
Seventeen and already 296 pounds, Troy Billings contemplates ending his life in a New York subway station. Enter Curt MacCrae, a charismatic, punk rocker/homeless kid/dropout type who saves Troy's life and offers him an opportunity to play the drums in his band. Engaging, funny and full of plot twists and turns, Fat Kid Rules the World will be enjoyed by fans of Joyce Carol Oates' Big Mouth and Ugly Girl (HarperCollins, 2002) as well as by pretty much any teen who has ever felt like a misfit.
Fat Hoochie Prom Queen by Nico Medina (SimonPulse, 2008, ISBN 1416936033)
Margarita Diaz is a big, beautiful and proud Latino teen who is loved by everyone... except queen-bee rival Bridget Benson. During a heated argument the rivals decide to end their rivalry by competing for prom queen and the winner takes all. As Margarita gets sucked into competing for popularity she begins to lose herself.
Increasingly more authors appear to be inspired by the fat acceptance movement, a cause supported by the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). For more information about size-positive books and magazines, check out this plus-sized fiction book list at RadianceMagazine.com
Francine Morrissette - Francine Morrissette is a freelance writer from southern Maine who has published articles on a wide range of topics including health, ...
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