The Melting of Maggie Bean

I enjoyed The Melting of Maggie Bean. Maggie is a believable and lovable character, and she has wonderful, supportive friends. She has to deal with a lot, and she handles herself with class throughout most of the book, even when she is gorging herself on candy at night.

Unfortunately, I felt that the ending was vague and confusing which knocked a couple of stars off for me... I felt as though the ends could have been tied up a bit more sharply.

Maggie's dad lost his job and has become a professional couch potato. Her mom is more and more worried about money, and Maggie focuses on keeping her straight A average and eating chocolate. Maggie's weight has become more of an issue than she's willing to admit, and when she has the opportunity to try out for the synchronized swim team, she decides to work hard on losing weight and making the team -- and maybe learning to believe in herself again. Maggie also hopes that maybe Peter (her crush) will notice her. Maggie doesn't always make the right choices, but she begins to see who she is under all of everyone else's expectations (some positive, some not). A somewhat unrealistic ending, even though it's the one everyone hopes for.

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Maggie Bean is addicted to candy. She needs a few bags to get her through the pressures of the week. At her house, the tension adds up because her dad's been out of work for months and they're barely scraping by. Maggie's gained weight during this time - so much weight that it's embarrassing her family. And they've decided to take action.

Her parents force her to join a weight center with her aunt. Maggie can't believe the humiliation, but neither can she stop eating candy. Things turn around when two coveted spots on the swim team open up and both Maggie and her best friend decide to try out.

Only Maggie's too embarrassed to be seen in the local pool wearing a swimsuit that grandmothers and show more pregnant women also wear. So, she decides to train in secret, and no one knows except the other teen in her weight program.

THE MELTING OF MAGGIE BEAN takes a tale of a social outcast and creates a realistic outcome. Maggie has two main goals, but to accomplish them, she'll need to dig down deep and discover her inner strength. Maggie Bean will inspire readers everywhere to strive towards their own goals and make them a reality. show less

This book was very sweet and Maggie was adorable. Her detirmination was priceless.

I'd have to say that "The Melting of Maggie Bean" was a bad read. I found it repeitive and hard to follow. he story follows the struggle of an over weight pre-teen who i trying to find her way. Maggie (the protagonist) was self-centered and greedy. With un-realistic motives. Maggie's main goal throughout the book seemed to be to make her way onto an elite swim team where she was convinced she didn't belong. Her lack of self-confidence was annoying and repetitive, and at times she seemed to shut herself off fro the world completely while Rayburn discussed various pity-parties that she threw for herself while laying in bed eating sweets. Focusing ony on Maggie as dull and irritating. None of the charectors were well rounded and they all show more seemed distant from one another, never making REAL connections to each other threw the entire book. None of the charectors stayed rue to the description they were given. And the un-likelyness of many events that happened in the book made the book hardly believable and awkward. The novel was slow and dull and in my opinion A WASTE OF TIME!!!

Chloe's Blurbs:

"An unlikely story like many others."

NOT RECOMENDED!!!!!! show less

this is a good realistic fiction book