The Melting of Maggie Bean

My favorite book this year is called The Melting of Maggie Bean. It is a very good and fascinating book. Maggie loves to keep up with her average of an A, but one thing she gets an A+ in is eating chocolate. One of Maggie's friends thwarts her from eating chocolate for a week, but every time she sees the chocolate machine, she goes crazy! I recommend this book to nine to fourteen year olds because they can get a sense of what happens to them if they eat chocolate. If you like this book, you'll like The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney.

Maggie Bean is addicted to candy. She needs a few bags to get her through the pressures of the week. At her house, the tension adds up because her dad's been out of work for months and they're barely scraping by. Maggie's gained weight during this time - so much weight that it's embarrassing her family. And they've decided to take action. Her parents force her to join a weight center with her aunt. Maggie can't believe the humiliation, but neither can she stop eating candy. Things turn around when two coveted spots on the swim team open up and both Maggie and her best friend decide to try out. Only Maggie's too embarrassed to be seen in the local pool wearing a swimsuit that grandmothers and pregnant women also wear. So, she decides to train in secret, and no one knows except the other teen in her weight program. THE MELTING OF MAGGIE BEAN takes a tale of a social outcast and creates a realistic outcome. Maggie has two main goals, but to accomplish them, she'll need to dig down deep and discover her inner strength. Maggie Bean will inspire readers everywhere to strive towards their own goals and make them a reality. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Maggie Bean is on the plump side with self esteem so low that she avoids looking into mirrors. Every week she sneaks into the drug store while her mother does the grocery shopping to buy that weeks supply of chocolate and candy. She realizes that being fat isn't what she wants. What she wants is to be popular, pretty, and thin. She thinks trying out to become a Water Wing is the way to get there. I really loved this book. Whether your a bit too plump or on the skinnier side, I think there's a message for it you.