By Robin Brande
8th Grade and Up
Catherine (Cat) is a junior in high school and determined to win the science fair this year. She decides to use herself as a test subject to study the how the diet and lifestyle of homo erectus -the first known humans - would change the current human race. As the experiment goes on she finds that the changes are reaching far beyond weight loss. People are treating her differently, she's dressing differently, and she is getting far more attention from the male gender. Cat struggles through re-inventing herself. Luckily her best friend, Amanda, is there to help her find the new Cat. One who isn't held back by weight, fear, or timidity.
Adore: This book address a delicate topic well. Any girl dealing with body image would easily identify with this book without feeling bad about themselves in the mean time. I love how the author ties in science and life. It makes science fun, innovative, and most importantly, relevant. I also appreciate that healthy lifestyle and eating habits are encouraged.
Abhor: The main character, Cat, loses the weight easily which seems a little far fetched. I also wish the attention from boys wasn't based so much on how Cat looks. Granted, this is an important part of the story line, but I'm not sure it's the best message for impressionable young girls.
Overall: I would recommend this book because it does have a great message about health and friendship. The characters are also lovable and meaningful. I'm including an excerpt from the book because it was the redeeming factor for the abhors that I mentioned above.
So what would my life have been like? If I hadn't lost the weight?I'd still be Matt's fat friend. And I'd still be in love with him. I wouldn't tell him - I'd just suffer in silence. I'd watch while he dated other girls, and I'd let him tell me about them because I was his pal. [...]
But what if Matt really didn't care how I looked? Is it possible he might have learned to love m, exactly as I was? I suppose, although it's hard to image. Not because of Matt, but because of me.
I think I've really hated myself these last four years. I've finally started to see that. I've been blaming Matt for how miserable I've been, when really it's all on me. I'm the one who's doled out all these secret punishments over the years. I'm the one who's been mean.
I'm the one who deprived myself of swimming - no one else took that away. [...] I'm the one who fed myself all that garbage and junk food, then hated what my body had become. [...] I'm the one who swallowed all my anger toward Matt and never just confronted him. [...]
I was wrong. I could have been happy anyway. I just refused to let myself. (Page 311)
