The Fat Boy Chronicles

Gr 6—9—At 5 feet, 5 inches and almost 200 pounds by the time he turns 15, Jimmy Winterpock suffers every kind of indignity imaginable from classmates who think of him as less than a person. Jimmy's adolescent point of view, delivered in journal form, is most authentic when describing life's lows (his tormentors) and highs (the support he gets from his family and youth group). However, between those accounts are cracks in the teen voice and message-driven statements such as, "I looked up causes of obesity online, and one site talked about hydrogenated oils and trans fat, and how they weren't in foods until the 70s. Now they're in almost everything we eat, and that's why there's so much obesity." Additionally distracting are the side plots in which Jimmy's only friend, verbally abused when not being neglected, becomes obsessed with a local murder and Jimmy's crush turns out to be a cutter. These serious psychological problems detract from the dramatic changes the teen decides to make in his own life, reducing him to a tragedy magnet instead of allowing his story to soar.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library