Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee

When she is almost sixteen years old, Rosemary decides she is sick of being overweight, mocked at school and at Heavenly Hair–her mother’s beauty salon–and feeling out of control, and as she slowly loses weight, she realizes that she is able to cope with her mother’s cancer, having a boyfriend for the first time, and discovering that other people’s lives are not as perfect as they seem from the outside.

Liz says:

“This story has the magic of being able to make you laugh and cry from one page to the next. Tackling tough issues of self-image and self-esteem with unflinching reality and humor, Supplee has written a delightful book that is sure to be a winner with 7th and 8th grade girls.”