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Find out moreCarolyn Mackler is the acclaimed author of the YA novels The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (a Michael L. Printz Honor Book), Infinite in Between, Tangled, Guyaholic, Vegan Virgin Valentine, and Love and Other Four-Letter Words, as well as the co-author of The Future of Us. She also wrote the middle-grade novel Best Friend Next Door. Carolyn lives in New York City with her husband and two sons. carolynmackler.com @carolynmackler
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | September 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: love, trust, truth, and being true to yourself | This engaging and refreshingly candid sequel to the bestselling The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things tackles big issues (body shaming, date rape, parental pressure) with big-hearted verve, sincerity and charm. Vibrant, witty, purple-and-green-haired Virginia attends a prestigious private Manhattan school but despite this privileged background, her life’s not exactly a bowlful of cherries. On good days Virginia considers herself to be curvy. On bad days she’s “plain old fat”. She comes from “a family of fat-shamers” and is constantly undermined by her high-achieving older siblings. Virginia has a boyfriend, though, Froggy. Except she’s no longer into him, which is another source of tension – she is, after all, the girl who wrote: “if you’re a chunky chick and you managed to get a nice boyfriend, don’t ever let him go”, so it’s quite a struggle for Virginia to decide whether she should let him go. Then, while you’re 110% rooting for her to make the right decision, fate intervenes in the form of a chance encounter with cute artist Sebastian. He’s attentive, complimentary and makes her feel pretty. As they become closer (and cuter), complicated connections emerge when Virginia’s big brother Byron is arrested for a serious offence, leaving the lovebirds with a whole lot of conflicts you’ll be desperate for them to resolve. The story is a real edge-of-your-seat page-turner, but Virginia is the true star of this well-plotted piece. At once ambitious and insecure, she zings from the page as a firecracker of relatable, true-to-life contradictions, while Byron’s appalling actions – and their painful repercussions – expose male privilege with thought-provoking poignancy. Highly recommended for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Holly Bourne. ~ Joanne Owen
Carolyn Mackler's acclaimed book has been updated for a new audience and is as relevant, funny and full of heart as it was when it was first published fifteen years ago.
Six months after Virginia decides to ignore the `Fat Girl Code of Conduct' and make her relationship with Froggy Welsh the Fourth official, things are getting complicated. She's not sure she still likes Froggy, her mum has betrayed her to the meanest girl in school, and her feelings about her brother Byron are still a mess since he was suspended from university for date rape. But then police come to their apartment and arrest Byron. As Virginia tries to figure it all out, she meets Sebastian - a guy with his own private drama. They make a pact not to talk about their troubles, but then a terrible secret comes out that could ruin everything. This year Carolyn Mackler will re-release her beloved coming-of-age novel The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things in a newly updated edition. Now she drops readers right back into the hilarious, haphazard life of Virginia Shreves in this long-awaited sequel! Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Dumplin'.
Fifteen-year-old Virginia feels like a fat, awkward outsider in her perfect family, especially next to her golden-boy big brother Byron. She's got a lot to deal with - her weight, her best friend moving away, the mean girls at school - not to mention a boy who seems to like her! To survive, she decides to follow the 'Fat Girl Code of Conduct' to make herself acceptable, unnoticed ... invisible. It seems to be working until something unthinkable happens and, before her eyes, Virginia's flawless family begins to fall apart. As her world spins out of orbit, Virginia realises that breaking the Fat Girl Code might be the only way to create a life that belongs to her. Carolyn Mackler's acclaimed book has been updated for a new audience and is as relevant, funny and full of heart as it was when it was first published fifteen years ago.
The sassy, sympathetic and saucy story of an over-achiever who gets a life.Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A student, a strict vegan and she's heading to Yale in the fall. So when her hellraising sixteen-year-old niece, V, comes to live with the family, Mara is horrified. Even more so when she starts dreaming about cheese sandwiches every night and realizes she is falling for James, her boss. Unable to ignore these unfamiliar cravings, Mara starts to give into them a little and in doing so discovers her sexuality, redefines her relationship with her over-anxious parents, and realizes that V could in fact be a potential friend and ally.
The sassy, sympathetic and saucy story of an over-achiever who gets a life.Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A student, a strict vegan and she's heading to Yale in the fall. So when her hellraising sixteen-year-old niece, V, comes to live with the family, Mara is horrified. Even more so when she starts dreaming about cheese sandwiches every night and realizes she is falling for James, her boss. Unable to ignore these unfamiliar cravings, Mara starts to give into them a little and in doing so discovers her sexuality, redefines her relationship with her over-anxious parents, and realizes that V could in fact be a potential friend and ally.
Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a medium-sized inferiority complex. Her mum is an exercise fiend, her dad whistles at skinny women, and her siblings are gorgeous, clever, and impossible to live up to. They're all people Virginia thinks the world of. In fact, Virginia thinks the world of everyone but herself. Then, a phone call changes everything...
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