Fat Angie - YA Review by AJ G

Reader: AJ G
Age: 17
Title: Fat Angie
Author: E.E. Charlton-Trujillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 03/12/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I read this book in the span of six hours, because I just could not put it down. The characters all had such strong, clearly developed personalities, and they grew at an impeccably timed rate. There is a lot of heartbreak in this book, but it's written from such a completely endearing perspective that you can't be mad at the author for including it in the plot. It feels less like reading a book and more like reading about someone's actual life, since I'm sure this is a situation many families in America currently face. If I had to come up with one critique, it would be that the dialogue was often incredibly forced. But even then, I almost didn't mind because the story was just so touching and sad.
Memorable or Forgettable: While Fat Angie does have some "token (insert underrepresented group here)" characteristics, they don't play as stereotypes at all. The fact that Angie is a lesbian isn't a huge deal to the reader because Angie doesn't treat it like a very big deal. And she is obese, but it isn't written as some stereotyped food disorder. It's not really referenced, other than by other children in the school. In addition to that, I really thought it was striking how unable to process Angie was. The author clearly did their research about PTSD, because the character voice is super authentic and real sounding.
Cover: I think the cover is a pretty good reflection of the contents, although basketball should have maybe been represented more, although I understand why it wasn't. I personally am not a huge fan of the cover, but only because I feel like I've seen it or it's older siblings way too often on the bookshelves.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation: Angie just cannot catch a break. Her sister is missing, her family is broken, everyone at school thinks she's a freak, and, oh yeah, she's fat. Until she meets the mysterious KC Romance. Can these two girls save each other from their lives?

tags: body image / bullying / lesbian / PTSD / BFYA nominee / ya lit