Skinny by Ibi Kaslik

Here is the book on Amazon.

First of all, I would like to say that I don't really think this book should be a young adult novel. It's listed as one but I'm not so sure that's really the greatest category for this...

In all respect, Skinny is a realistic view on anorexia. Not only for the one afflicted but for the family as well. Other than that, I didn't really like this book. It is told from two points of view: Giselle, a young med student suffering from anorexia and Holly, her 8th-grade sister. This book is intricately woven, using excerpts from medical textbooks, and the voices of both girls. It's well-written and poignant, but it leaves me feeling empty. This book doesn't offer hope, and as an educator, I want to do that for my students.

Anorexia is real and it does effect a large population, both adolescent and older, but this book does not illustrate to students the aspects of recovery that are also as real as the disease. I think it's great that Kaslik is able to give a voice to anyone who has a sibling struggling with addiction, but this isn't the kind of encouragement I would want to leave my students with. I don't think I will use this book in the classroom, and it won't be part of my classroom library.