Rebel with a Cupcake

February 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-High schooler Jesobel Jones begins her story on Own Clothes Day at School-the exciting, or dreaded day, depending on who you are. She gets ready with her friends, experimenting in her own style, but soon starts to consider her public persona vs. her self-image and whether or not her love for cooking, baking, and all things food is affecting her social status. On this infamous day in school, Jess starts out with a mishap with the school bully and ends with a party invitation by her crush. The story follows Jess and her journey from fitting in to her ultimate self-discovery, all the while learning some lessons about family, friendship, love, and being herself. This fun read is told from the perspective of Jess-an engaging and easily relatable narrator. Mainwaring has captured what it's like to be a teenager and brings about all the feelings about being in high school-the hopes, the fears, and everything in between. VERDICT For a contemporary, enjoyable, and relatable novel for all teens, this one is a must-read.-Caitlin Wilson, Meadowdale Library, North Chesterfield, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
Jesobel "Jess" Jones is fat and (most days) she doesn't hate her body. She loves food, and she's never asked, "Do I look fat in this?"Then her mega-crush invites her to a party. Jess' mother has just given her the perfect dress, but there's a problem: It's a size too small. However, if Jess wants to impress Matt, she'll have to lose a little weight--something she's always scoffed at other girls for doing (both Manchester, England, teens are white). Jess makes a few changes to her diet and exercise, and after three weeks of hunger and all-around grumpiness, she loses an unspecified amount of weight and fits into the dress just in time to be rebuffed by Matt for one of the thin bullies from their all-girls' school. Sadly, this is where the plot falls into the maturity-through-weight-loss hole. After Jess sheds some pounds, she realizes that a boy who would choose a skinny mean girl over a nice fat girl is a loser. But will the sadder-but-wiser Jess find a boy who appreciates her as she is? Jess is lovably snarky and astute: Each chapter is preceded by one of her observations about being a girl which highlight and question the ironies, contradictions, and double standards affecting young women in Western society. Hilarious and heartfelt. (Fiction. 14-18)

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February 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Until a school encounter with mean-girl Zara sets off a wardrobe malfunction, Jesobel Jess Jones has never felt self-conscious about her weight. She loves to cook and feed people, and she can't understand why her former-supermodel mother and perfect older sister, Cat, seem so unhappy in their slender bodies. But when her leggings self-destruct, she wonders if Zara might be right. She forms a tenuous bond with Cat, who runs with her and gives her eating advice (albeit fairly extreme), and she catches the attention of Matt, a local heartthrob. Still, she feels as if she's betraying her old self and ultimately decides to do what makes her happy. Each chapter is headed with an observation or a rule about being a teenage girl, every one spot-on. Other subplots include a little sister with an abusive imaginary friend and Jess' grandmother who won't leave her room. Mainwaring has an ear for dialogue and a terrific sense of humor that shines through every page while lending the dynamic characters a great deal of dignity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
When overweight but body-confident Jess Jones receives an invite to a party from her crush Matt, the British year-eleven student begins a strict diet and exercise regimen hoping to win him over. Debut novelist Mainwaring's heartwarming, hilarious story about wanting to fit in but ultimately choosing to stand out is bolstered by Jess's snarky yet accurate observations about women's place in society.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)