Fat Chance By: Leslea Newman
Characters
Judi Liebowitz (the main character of the book), Monica (Judi's best friend), Richard Weiss (the boy Judi likes and Monica secretly likes), Paul Weinstein ( the nerdy boy that likes Judi and is best friends with Richard), Nancy Pratt (the bulimic girl that makes Judi want to be skinny), Judi's Mom, Ms. Roth (she is Judi's overweight teacher that get's help for Nancy), and Tommy (the boy that bullies Judi about her body)
Conflict
The main conflict is how other students bully each other, forcing them to want to change their bodies. Judi's main conflict is that she wants to become skinny in unhealthy ways. Which is affecting her life.
Plot Elements
The rising action was when Judi saw Nancy Pratt fainted from puking in the bathroom and had to go to the hospital. Judi decided she did not want to be like Nancy. As a resolution Judi went to therapy.
The Theme
The theme of "Fat Chance" is that there is more to life than just being thin and beautiful. And the fact of having a eating disorder is a big problem and it's very dangerous. Judi realizes being thin and beautiful isn't everything, and eating is a part of life and you need it to survive. Many boys and girls do not understand how not eating affects their future health.
Critics Corner
Reviews of book were positive.