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Overview
"Hey listen guys. I need you to tell me something and I want you to be really really honest...." "Sounds serious," said Nesta. "It is. I want you to tell me, do you think I've put on weight?" Nesta, Lucy, and T J looked at each other. "No," said T J after a moment too long. "Not really. Well, we all did a little on the school trip. So no more than the rest of us."
Izzie has always been "curvy," but since Christmas she has gained eight pounds, and nothing seems to fit anymore. In an attempt to lose weight, Izzie tries everything: one diet after another, a punishing exercise program, and every bit of conflicting advice anyone can give her.
Her constant worrying about her weight causes her to lose her confidence, and she stops appreciating the things in her life that are special — her supportive friends, the fact that she has been selected for a TV teen panel, and a cute boy at the TV studio who seems to like her just the way she is.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats is the tenth in the U.S. edition of the popular British "Mates, Dates" series by Cathy Hopkins. These books are a kind of junior British chick lit—breezy, fun writing that addresses real issues affecting teens. They are light, but not lightweight in terms of subject matter. The series focuses on four teenage gal pals as they navigate the concerns of high school—boys, friendship, boys, school, and boys. Each book focuses on a crucial teen concern through the perspective of one of the girls. In Chocolate Cheats, Izzie obsesses about her holiday weight gain, trying a variety of fad diets and exercise plans to the dismay of her mother and friends. Brief, frank mentions of sex and teenage pregnancy direct this book toward slightly older readers. Unlike a lot of novelists writing for teens, however, Jenkins avoids graphic details and does not focus on materialism. Instead she allows her protagonists to concentrate on navigating their transition to the adult world with all the bumps that it might involve. She also instills each girl with a social conscience. Ultimately Izzie and her pals don't take themselves too seriously. Their humor and steadfast friendship are the kind of values that keep teens wholesome. The breezy writing unfortunately leads to a pat ending; body image contentment too easily arrived at with a touch of social consciousness tying it all together. Nevertheless, for the most part Jenkins has created good, clean fun. 2005, Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, Ages 13 up.—Ilene S. Goldman