Skinny

De: Donna Cooner

Narrado por: Elizabeth Morton

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside 15-year-old Ever Davies's head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over 300 pounds, knows she'll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever's singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical - and partly to try and save her own life - Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

©2012 Donna Cooner (P)2012 Scholastic Audio

I hear those same voices

Speaking as one who has struggled with being overweight my whole life, I can say I learned a lot from "Skinny". I totally understand those emotions, and the self-abuse whenever I would fail at a diet or eat stuff I should not eat. My heart goes out to all who have this same struggle because it eats at your very being and can destroy your self-esteem. Not to mention how hard it is on your health to be overweight. I lost my only sister, all 350 pounds of her, to obesity-related illness at the young age of 47. I miss her every day.

This is a great book and I am very glad I read it. Everyone who has struggled or does now struggle with weight should read it. Although the method this young girl finally chose to help her become more healthy is not the route I would take, I certainly understand her reasons for doing so, and admire her courage.

The revelations about "Skinny" that we learned at the end of the book were worth the entire read! Fabulous!

Fabulous Story

Any additional comments?

Skinny is such a wonderful read and although I started reading the book, I had a lengthy car ride that caused me to switch over to the audio. I found several of Ms. Morton's vocal characterizations to be most annoying. Ultimately, I was happy to get it to my destination and return to the text.

Authentic and fearless

What made the experience of listening to Skinny the most enjoyable?

The character of Ever is real, imperfect, vulnerable and lovable.

What did you like best about this story?

Even though the target audience is teen girls,the angst and inner-voice of Skinny, telling Ever she will never be enough, is a universal experience.

What about Elizabeth Morton’s performance did you like?

Ms. Morton brought warmth and charm to the voice of Ever, and gave all the characters a uniqueness that I could recognize each character every time. With excellent, but seemingly effortless enunciation, I never missed a word.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

I would have liked the author to explore how Ever dealt with giving up food as an emotional crutch and truly learn to cope with her grief and move beyond it. Also, I wanted to scream at this Dad for not getting his daughter some psychological therapy: death of a mother and weight gain of 200 pounds in five years is definitely reason to get some help. I would also think any teen girl getting this kind of surgery would need more guidance and support than represented. I do worry that overweight teen girls might read this book and think that gastric bypass is fairly easy and would solve all her problems.

Nice story, but super slow narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I think it's a unique a valuable perspective.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Skinny?

The moment when Ever decides she wants to be both less (thinner) and more (happy, involved, full of life) than she is...the dreaded chair moment.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was SO slow. I had to speed it up, otherwise I got really frustrated. Ever is so smart and snarky, a bit angry, and the narration just did not match.

Do you think Skinny needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I like how it ended. It's like Ever got through the hardest part and was now free to live her life as she chose.

This book should be required in school

Having a daughter struggling with Social Anxiety has been difficult. After mentioning how much she loved this book I decided to give it a try. Now it’s really been a breakthrough for her. She has been able to open up and talk about her own version of skinny. Because of this book we will be able to conquer anything. Any parent or teen that is lost can find a way through this book.

Great story entertaining and enlightening

If you could sum up Skinny in three words, what would they be?

entertaining, enlightening, powerful

What was one of the most memorable moments of Skinny?

don't want to give it away but when Ever starts to confront Skinny

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

after the dance, her talk with her sister

Any additional comments?

I read this because my 12 yr daughter's book club is reading it. I Loved it and sad it ended so soon.

Good book. Could have been longer

a bit more medical detail would have been good. the process is much more difficult than how it was presented.

Loved it!

I loved the characters and the voice over. I could really relate to the main character and what she was going through. I also liked the way the writers creativity with her words.