Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Smart, funny, body-positive coming-of-age story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Willowdean Dickson, a high school junior, has always been fat and happy. But when she starts falling for her cute coworker and he starts falling for her, she suddenly starts to question everything she ever thought about herself and her relationship to her body. Just as she's trying to get her self-confidence back, she has a huge fight with her best friend about entering the local beauty pageant. As if that weren't enough, Willowdean's frosty relationship with her beauty-queen mother (who gave her the nickname DUMPLIN') takes a nosedive when she starts to invade her mother's pageant territory. But Willowdean feels she has just as much of a right to participate as anyone, even if she knows she won't win. Can she survive the pageant, get her best friend back, and get the guy? And will she ever be comfortable in her own skin again?
Is It Any Good?
Smart, funny, confident, beautiful, and -- oh, yeah -- fat Texas teen Willowdean is a breath of fresh air. Author Julie Murphy brings an authenticity and universality to her heroine's voice as Willowdean searches to restore her self-confidence. Even teens who've never been overweight will relate to Willowdean's insecurities and learn how to get past their own. Issues about insecurity that anyone can understand, as well as many specific to body positivity, are honestly and forthrightly presented in many ways, from funny to poignant to infuriating and everything in between.
Colorful, believable characters round out small-town Clover City, Texas. Teens will enjoy rooting for Willowdean and her misfit friends as they claim their rightful places in society as people who deserve respect and happiness.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about being fat. Do you think it's possible to be fat and beautiful? If not, why not?
If she could wave a magic wand and just be thin, do you think Willowdean would do it? Why, or why not? Is there anything about yourself you would magic away if you could?
How important did you think a person's weight was before you read this book? Did reading this book change your thinking about weight?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray
- Publication date : September 15, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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