Told by younger brother of girl who dies from anorexia, this is a story of loss of family and identity. Donnie's parents split up and his sister Karen sinks into anorexia. Donnie tries to disappear at school by not talking to anybody to solve his problem of being a loser.

Good read and shows the depths the disease can take one.

Grade Levels: 8-11
Category: Realistic Fiction
Read-Alouds: 7-8 (Porch sitting); 21-23 (Chris and Bean); 96-98 (Food journals); 150-154 (Rehab); 170-172 (The discovery)

Summary:
Donnie’s sister has always taken care of him. When his parents fought or he got awful earaches, he could always count on Karen being there for him. Donnie struggles to watch his older sister grow up and move on, making new friends without him. He eventually falls in love with Karen’s best friend, Amanda, a bond that, later, helped him cope with the worst event of his life. Karen grows increasingly distant and one day Donnie finds out the secret she’s been keeping---Karen is anorexic. Karen’s eating disorder affects the entire family and Donnie finds that for once Karen can’t be there for him and he’ll have to do the rescuing.

Themes:
The central theme of the story is eating disorders, specifically anorexia. Karen’s battle with this disease is detailed at length and describes her family’s struggle to cope with her ailment. Because eating disorders are extremely prevalent and are becoming more so, this book would be a vital asset to a classroom and a great starting point for discussions on tough issues. Family dysfunction also plays a role as do other teenage problems such as love/lust, friends, social interactions, etc.

Reader Response:
I loved, loved, loved this book. It was very sad, but the tragedy of the situation served as a vehicle to help readers consider deeper points. This book would be excellent in middle and high school classrooms as well as for teachers. It not only talks about anorexia from the standpoint of the suffering individual, but provides insight to the ramifications eating disorders cause to entire family units. In most of the books I chose I wanted to find material on real, tough issues that teenagers, specifically teenage girls, go through. Eating disorders, body dysmorphia and other body image issues, and self-esteem are huge in the lives of teenage girls in our society. This book is an asset to teachers who want to do more than just teach reading, writing, and math. It provides the opportunity to look deeper into the lives of students and closely examine things they deal with on an every day basis. The author’s choice to use a male narrator served two purposes: there is equal coverage of males and females in the book allowing it to appeal to a broader spectrum, and providing the insight of a person who, because of his gender, would not normally be considered when discussing eating disorders. As I mentioned before, the book was heartbreaking, but well worth a few tears.

Outstanding - 1st person male (teenage) narration who battles with a family nightmare. Would suit either boy/girl. S. McK ( )

I really don't have much to say about this book. I thought the plot was good, I liked the characters... it was just a good book. I didn't quite understand the father and wish he was explained a bit more, but otherwise, no complaints here! ( )

"Skin" tells the story of two siblings, Danny and Karen. Danny is a nobody at school. Karen wants to be somebody, but won't be unless she's the perfect weight. Their parents seems to spend more time on hurting each other with words than trying to find out about their kids.

They have skin, yet are they really there?

Overall, a good read for young adults. For those a bit older, I highly recommend Jillian Medoff's "Hunger Point." ( )