Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff

author’s website: Allen Zadoff
release date: September 8, 2009
(paperback release: February 22, 2011)
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Contemporary / Body Image
length: 320 pages
publisher: EgmontUSA
overall rating: 5 stars
body image & self perception issue: obesity (male protagonist)

*the inside flap*
What’s worse than being fat your freshman year? Being fat your sophomore year.

Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky – hand with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat. He’s used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.

But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over, but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.

Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.

How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?

Andrew is about to find out.

*my review*
This is an interesting novel that covers many more topics than it would seem by reading the cover. This book talks about weight, self esteem, divorce, insecurity, friendship, and the hierarchy of “cool” that happens in high school. That’s a lot of meat for a novel that’s only 311 pages long, but it works beautifully. Allen Zadoff merges these topics into a truly excellent story about the life of an overweight teenager.

Andrew Zansky isn’t just a little overweight. He is big enough that he actually has to worry about fitting into the new desks at school. He even refers to himself as fat – he says it runs in his family. And while he doesn’t want to be fat, he doesn’t do a ton to change it, which I think has to do with the pressure his mom puts on him. She isn’t comfortable with her weight, and she projects those insecurities toward Andy by encouraging diets. Truthfully, it is because she doesn’t want Andy to struggle with the same problem, but putting pressure on Andy isn’t helping. Also creating issues is Andy’s sister Jessica, who happens to be super skinny. (Enter one of my favorite lines of the book: “There’s a lot of fat in our family, but there’s some thin, too. Dad is thin and athletic, and my sister Jessica is super skinny. She’s also a super bitch, so there’s clearly no correlation between being skinny and being nice, at least in her case.” p. 2-3)

Andy seems to be living a pretty decent high school life, until he meets April – the girl of his dreams – and decides that he wants to impress her. This leads to perhaps the most embarrassing situation I can imagine happening in high school. And obviously, it isn’t very impressive either. Things seem to go worse and worse for Andy, until the quarter-back (and high school superstar) O. Douglas suddenly becomes Andy’s friend. Andy goes out for the football team and finds that he actually isn’t half bad. What is interesting is that throughout this transformation, Andy loses touch with his old best friend, and begins to change who he is.

Anything else would spoil the ending, but I highly recommend this book to female or male readers of any age. It is an incredibly story with a lot of depth to it if – especially if you really pay attention.

*short and snappy*
writing: easy and fun to read – the writing pulls you into the story and definitely captures the feel of high school life
plot: not at all what I expected – this is not the cliché high school novel
characters: Andy has a lot of depth, but it is the well developed minor characters (Eyton, Mom, Dad, O, and April) that make the book come alive
memorable line:
judging by the cover: brilliant! The cover ties directly into the story if you look at the details
miscellaneous: You can read an excerpt from “Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have” here (scroll down for the link), and tomorrow, Allen Zadoff will “be here” for an interview!

If you’ve read the book, or don’t mind spoilers, I have a bit more to say:
I absolutely loved the depth of Andy's character and the fact that he realized that he wasn't playing football for the right reasons. It sounds a bit pessimistic, I suppose, but I liked that Andy didn't get the girl and lose 100 pound at the end of the book - it would have been too cliché. This story felt much more realistic because those things didn't happen, and I think that people will really be able to better relate to the character because of that.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

author’s website: Alex Flinn
release date: October 2, 2007
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Fairy Tale Retelling
length: 336 pages
publisher: HarperTeen
overall rating: 4 Stars
body image & self perception issue: disfigurement

*the back cover*
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

*my review*
Beastly is an interesting look at the story of Beauty and the Beast, but with a few twists: the story is set in modern New York City, and the story is told by the beast. Kyle has just about everything a ninth grade boy could want: he’s the best looking boy in his grade, his dad is famous, they have plenty of money, and he is extremely popular. Unfortunately, he knows all of these things and is also extremely conceited and acts like he is better than everyone else. Then, an unfortunate run in with a witch transforms him into a beast, with one simple “out” clause: he must fall in love with someone who loves him in return within two years.

What was interesting to me was that Kyle doesn’t even think about finding a girl. Instead, he tries to find any method possible of reversing the change. He truly believes that looks are so important that no one would possibly love him in this new form. As time passes, Kyle experiences a roller coaster of emotions, and gradually, you begin to see a change in him. He moves through emotions almost like a person would move through the stages of grief. At first he is in total denial, then he’s angry, and then he gives up completely. It is when he has given up that I thought the most growth occurred. When Kyle began to explore aspects of himself, the most growth occurs.

Since this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, we know that a “Beauty” must be coming, but the situation that brought the girl to Kyle surprised me (even though it is quite true to the fairy tale). I tried to imagine being in her shoes, and it would have been a terrifying experience! Because this is a retelling, the story was slightly predictable, but it is handled in a way that makes it very enjoyable.

While this is a fantasy story, there are elements of the story that could apply to real teenagers as well. It is easy to understand how important looks are, especially in high school. Kyle believes that looks are the most important thing, until he loses them and has to use his personality to make an impression. Throughout the book, internet chat room conversations that are interspersed between the chapters. They are from the “Unexpected Changes” chat group and they provide a fun look into other fairy tales as the creatures vent and give each other advice. What is really interesting is that all of the characters have issues that also apply to real life. “SilentMaid” likes a boy and wants to change so she can be with him, “Grizzlyguy” is torn because he likes two girls, and of course “BeastNYC” is trying to find his true love despite the animal-like appearance. The conversations are funny, but they have underlying messages too.

Overall, this is a clever way to retell Beauty and the Beast in a way that can definitely apply to modern readers.

*short and snappy*
writing: clever – it really captures the attitude and emotion that Kyle is feeling throughout the story
plot: not a ton of action, and slightly predictable, but all of the internal change makes it captivating
characters: complex – there is a lot of development and change in Kyle from the beginning of the story to the end
miscellaneous: An excerpt of the book and a video feature about the upcoming movie are available here