Fat Cat

For her Science class Cat decides to try and live like the cavemen did, so she modifies her diet radically and gives up all modern conveniences. ( )

I picked this book up because Meg Cabot praised it on her blog, and I was glad I did! Cat's struggles as an overweight but ambitious teen really struck home for me--and her struggle to survive (literally, at times!) her science project was riveting! I wish I could demonstrate the strength she shows in "living like a primiative homo erectus" for a year, but I just love my Pepsi Max a little bit too much.... ( )

I really enjoyed this book. An unhappy and extremely overweight girl decides to take back her life and dramatically shed the weight by eating only those foods that would have been available to early hominids. Cat is a character that is so real and flawed that I couldn't help but relate to her. ( )

I read a review for this book more than 2 years ago that pretty much said great things. So, when I saw this at my library, I immediately picked it up. I'm so happy I did because I absolutely loved this book!

The book starts out with Cat getting an assignment, an assignment that is known around the school to give students a meltdown for how important it is for their grade. At the end of the year the students take their project to a science fair. For the assignment the students have to draw a picture and come up with a project from the picture.

Cat draws a picture of early hominids. So she decides that she is going to start living like the early hominids did. No processed food, no soda, no internet or TV. This is going to be hard for Cat because all she eats seems to be junk food. But she's determined because this year she is going to beat her ex best friend at this science fair.

I pretty much loved all the characters. I loved Cat and her best friend, Amanda, and even though Cat defines Matt as a jerk throughout most of the book, I also loved him.

This book is mostly about Cat eating healthy and getting back into shape. Since she can't use cars to get her around she ends up walking almost everywhere, and she starts cooking everything for herself. I loved reading about Cat's transformation.

I also loved reading about Cat's dating experiences. They're were plenty of time where I found myself laughing out loud. Which pretty much sums up the whole book. It's very funny and lighthearted, but also serious at times. I loved this book and I wish it got a little more attention. ( )

Fat Cat’s most winning feature is the protagonist, an overweight (at the beginning, at least) teen who is unapologetically smart and interested in science. Cat decides to make herself a human test subject for her year-long science project, in which she tries to live as close to her caveman roots as possible by giving up processed food, driving, and technology like cell phones and television. She loses weight quickly, and equally quickly becomes drawn to the attention she receives from boys who never noticed her before. All of that is overshadowed, though, by her severe antipathy toward Matt, her classmate and best friend until an incident in middle school that is referred to throughout the novel but not revealed until near the end. In the latter half of the novel, Cat becomes more interested in shopping and boys than in her experiment, but she remains intelligent and dedicated to work and scholarly pursuits throughout. Readers will root for Cat to get the happy ending that they will see coming from early in the novel, and the lack of profanity, explicit sexual activity, and substance abuse means that this is a safe pick for libraries with more conservative patron bases. Ages 12+. ( )