Virginia Shreves thinks she must have been switched at birth. She is blonde, unpopular, overweight, and can’t speak French. The rest of her family (mom, dad, older brother and sister) is dark, beautiful, thin, popular, and speak fluent French. Furthermore, Virginia’s best friend is away for the year and she’s all alone at school. She’s begun an unfulfilling and secret relationship with a classmate that she can’t even speak to in school. When her mother decides to be more proactive about her weight problem and under the pressure of disapproving parents and cruel classmates, Virginia begins a dangerous starvation diet. Before it goes too far, though, her brother Byron is sent home from college under allegations of date rape. Virginia is shattered and must reevaluate her idea that Byron and the rest of her family are perfect. She returns to overeating for comfort but with a little help slowly finds herself as a confident individual who’s come to terms with her imperfections.The glittery cover and weird title initially put me off of this book, but I was interested in reading it as a Printz Honor book (the Printz is like the Newbery award for teen books) and one that has recently been banned in several school libraries around the country. Virginia is a good narrator – funny, self-depreciating, and ultimately strong, and any girl who is or was unhappy with her image will see some hope there. Supporting characters such as Byron and Froggy Welsh the Fourth (her secret boyfriend) are complex and we learn more about them as Virginia does.
Issues include: body image, date rape, eating disorders, sexuality, rebellion, dysfunctional families, occasional profanity.
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