With all the talk about America's fight with obesity, particularly in relation to our youth, this book is definitely timely. The tale centers around Jamie Carcaterra, a senior in high school who is the features editor for the school newspaper as well as playing Evileen (the witch) in the school's production of The Wiz. She is working hard to succeed because she knows that winning a scholarship is really the only way she is going to get to go to college.

Her main tool for trying to get a scholarship is a weekly column in the school's paper, which is called the "Fat Girl Manifesto." Jamie is a great character who is a strong female lead. Her columns work hard to expose the treatment of girls who don't fit the mold of the thing American girl by highlighting how fashion houses are "shrinking" the sizes of clothes and how people stereotype her because of her size. She even explores the dangers of gastrci bypass surgery to confront obesity when her boyfriend decides that is an option he wants to choose. There is even an interesting romance blooming between Jamie and the Ken-lie (as in Barbie and Ken) editor-in-chief of the paper.

The problem is that even though Jamie insists that she doesn't mind her weight and is confident in the person that she is, she comes across as whiny and ranting as she writes her manifesto and looks to those around her to fit the mold of those stereotyping "fat" people.

There are also some very strong and realistic scenes as she confronts poor treatment, but reality lets go in a number of areas. For example, the school newspaper seemst o run completely on its own with no input from a sponsoring teacher, and the school play seems to be a sidebar for Jamie even though she has one of the starring roles.

The story also seems to become distracted by a number of subplots relating to Jamie's best friends, one of who is a quite humorous agent for the protection of the planet and animals. This makes the story drag on in some areas.

As a result, this is an OK book on a great topic. It is a shame it was not better because it is a message that really needs to get out there.