Review: Wintergirls

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
ISBN/Publisher: 978-0-14-241557-3/Speak (part of Penguin)
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult

Lia and Cassie were best friends growing up. They even made a pact, a sort of competition, to be the skinniest girls around school. Well for five feet five inches Lia this becomes dangerous. It also becomes deadly for her friend Cassie.

Cassie is found dead in a motel room and Lia lives with Cassie's ghost now because no one but Lia knows that Cassie called her 33 times on the day of her death. Lia who has already been forced into two hospital treatments is retreating back to her old habits. She hits it even harder now that Cassie is dead.

Lia is dealing with her family problems and at the same time trying to trick her mom, dad, step-mom, and half sister that she's doing just fine with her anorexia. Except we see that she's not. Cassie's ghost is cheering her on to join her on the other side and to become super skinny. Lia is far from being healthy. In fact she is become further away from 100 pounds.

Lia forces a tough decision of whether she should be alive with the rest of the world or frozen as a wintergirl. Or even worse...Will Lia follow Cassie to the "other side"???

Laurie Halse Anderson does it again with this book. She portrays an emotional story through the eyes of a sick teenage girl. This is a disease that she writes with such honesty and realism. There are times when it is hard to read, but that is what makes Anderson's book so wonderful. This story seems real and I believe that because of the tone of the story many teenagers will wake up and seek help from their eating disorders.

I definitely recommend this book to young adults in high school and college. I would love for the high school students to read this because of the subject dealing with eating disorders. These days I feel that there are too many teenagers suffering with eating problems that books like Wintergirls will help bring the topic to a speakable recognition. I also believe parents, teachers, and counselors should take interest in this book and discuss it with their students when they see one reading it. This book can lead to many informative discussions and can possibly help those suffering from anorexia and bulimia.

My Rating

(This book was bought from a store called National Books).

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***