The Melting of Maggie Bean

Maggie Bean is a top student, a loyal friend, and has a great sense of humor. But the past year's been kind of rough, what with her dad losing his job and her loads of schoolwork. Maggie's learned to cope by eating chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. So much so, that Maggie is dragged by her aunt to weekly Pound Patrollers meetings. No big deal, just utter social devastation. She keeps her mind off PP meetings by "accidentally" running into gorgeous 8th grader Peter Applewood; updating her study spreadsheet—a.k.a, Maggie's Master Multi-Tasker; finding a job for her dad; and secretly practicing for one of the two freshman spots on the synchronized swim team. She's got a long way to go to reach her goals, but when Maggie Bean sets her mind on a goal, nothing—not even a bag of Kit Kats—can stand in her way.

Maggie looked down and barely saw her toenails peeking out from the shadow of her stomach. She closed her eyes and slowly stepped onto the scale. Once she finally opened her eyes, Maggie almost fell off the scale.

Maggie Bean's having a tough year. Since her dad lost his job he spends more time watching TV than talking to his family, and her mom's totally stressed about money. So Maggie focuses on what she does best: keeping up her straight-A average and eating chocolate.

Lots and lots of chocolate.

But everything changes when Maggie gets a chance to try out for the synchronized swim team. Becoming a Water Wing has always been Maggie's dream -- who wouldn't want to have an instant circle of friends and wear that cute silver bathing suit? As a Water Wing, maybe she'll start believing she's more than just a socially awkward bookworm. Maybe people will see past the extra weight she's recently gained to the funny, cool girl hiding underneath. And maybe, just maybe, Peter Applewood will finally notice her.

It all depends on Maggie Bean, who thinks she knows who she is, but is about to find out for sure.

KLIATT

Seventh-grader Maggie Bean has just found out that she weighs 186 pounds. She knows she gained a lot of weight in the past year, but is appalled to see exactly how much. The only way she can get through each week is by stocking up on candy at the drugstore and drowning her sorrows in chocolate all day long. Concerned about her health, Maggie's parents make her start attending Pound Patrol meetings with her Aunt Violetta. Maggie is not thrilled about being forced to sit around with people much older than her and talk about weight issues. Luckily, she meets Arnie, a boy her age who also attends the meetings. His humor and kindness win her over, giving her a new friend for the first time in quite a while. The meetings do nothing to help her problem, but Maggie has her own plan. Organization and setting goals are Maggie's strengths, so she draws up a plan for losing the weight. The strength of the story lies in the characters. Maggie is a strong, determined, and infinitely likeable girl. She is rendered with such realism that her personality practically jumps off the page. She struggles with her weight, has setbacks in her plan, and experiences a gamut of emotions as she tries to make herself over. The supporting characters of Aimee, Arnie, and Peter, Maggie's crush, are all just as well-thought-out as Maggie. They are nuanced and realistic, providing nice counterpoints to the shallow, catty girls who are peripheral characters. Even though Maggie intends to pull off her weight loss plan alone, she is surrounded by caring friends who only want her to be happy, no matter what her weight. Readers will root for Maggie in this engaging, earnest story.

Tricia Rayburn lives on eastern Long island with her fiancé and crazy shih tzu. She tries to eat vegetables instead of candy but, in her weaker moments, loves Reese's Pieces. The Melting of Maggie Bean is her first novel.