The Fat Girl

Jeff Lyons can't stand Ellen de Luca, the fat girl in his ceramics class. She's huge, clumsy, can't throw a pot to save her life, and stares at Jeff all the time. But he's a "nice guy" and feels terrible when Ellen overhears his hurtful remarks about her. The "crumbs of kindness" he tosses her way soon turn into advice on weight loss, college, clothes, hair . . . and, to everyone's surprise, good-looking Jeff actually dumps his pretty girlfriend to be with the fat girl! Re-creating Ellen is a labor of love, Jeff thinks. But as her pounds melt away, Jeff resents the happy, independent young woman he has unleashed. Where is the gratitude for all he's done for her? With this darkly ironic take on the classic Pygmalion tale, Marilyn Sachs show more offers young readers a candid portrayal of what happens when the intoxicating thrill of control is confused with love. show less

A story about a handsome teenage boy who leaves his pretty girlfriend for the "fat girl" he initially ridiculed in his ceramics class. It gets increasingly uncomfortable to read, as it's clear that the main character has serious dependency issues due to family problems, and manipulates his poor vulerable girlfriend to feel better about himself. By the end, you are rooting for her to dump him, and there is certainly no happy, resolved ending.

wow! what a read. Once I started this I stayed up to finish it because, I had to find out how everything turned out. As you're reading this it's strange to see some things from Jeffs point of view but, also kind of weirdly addicting. This was such a great read it was nicely paced and the storyline is great. It quickly goes from how Jeff totally hates Ellen to how he is dating her. He starts making so many decisions for her. I just really enjoyed this book the author did a great job. I would rate this a 5 out of 5.

Jeff Lyons is both repelled and fascinated by Ellen de Luca, the fat girl in his ceramics class. The "crumbs of kindness" he tosses her way soon turn into advice on weight loss, college, clothes ... until good-looking Jeff dumps his girlfriend to be with the fat girl As Ellen changes, Jeff resents the happy, independent young woman he has unleashed. Initially, Jeff's intentions were good, but he becomes quite tyrannical in the end. This would be a great read for reluctant readers, and I think both boys and girls would like it.
There are some great discussion questions at the end of the book.

6. Personal Response: The character of Ellen was really flat, so although Jeff was clearly a controlling ass, I didn’t feel for her. Even when she finally speaks up for herself, it’s lackluster.
7. Connections: This could be part of a series on teen obesity in America and also included in a health unit on controlling boy/girlfriends that could be helpful for high schoolers.