Fix
Plastic surgery book gets readers thinking about body image.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this book deals with teen plastic surgery, including one character's breast augmentation. Some procedures -- and side effects -- are detailed. The author brings up lots of issues about beauty, body image, and surgery but leaves it up to her readers to come to their own conclusions, just as her characters do.
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What's the Story?
FIX follows two sisters who are both considering plastic surgery. Overachieving Cameron, who became popular after a nose job, now wants breast implants. Meanwhile, Allie, a down-to-earth soccer player, isn't sure she wants the nose job that everyone is insisting will make her beautiful.
Is It Any Good?
Sure, it's fiction, but Fix is really less of a novel and more of a book to get readers thinking about teen plastic surgery. There are statistics about procedures and descriptions of side effects, and pretty much every female character in the story has gotten -- or is about to get -- something worked on.
Readers will appreciate that the author doesn't judge her characters. She knows that girls are often in a tough spot because of societal pressures -- Cameron's junior high school life really was hell, and her nose was a (pardon the pun) big reason why. It's easy to understand both characters' obsession with beauty and their sometimes painful decisions to change their looks. The writing isn't always elegant, but the topics raised in Fix can help parents talk to their daughters about a range of body image issues.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the two sisters in the book. How are they different? Who do you relate to more? Parents also can use this book as a way to talk about beauty standards and body image.
Young adult authors often take on trendy/timely topics, such as teen prescription drug use or gossip on social media sites. Are these books helpful, or do they just make teen problems seems glamorous -- and more common than they actually are?
Book Details
- Author: Leslie Margolis
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Simon Pulse
- Publication date: November 29, 2006
- Number of pages: 256
- Last updated: July 15, 2015
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