Life in the Fat Lane

Lara Ardeche is a homecoming queen and beauty pageant winner—the “perfect” girl—until she finds, to her horror, that her weight is out of control. No matter how little she eats, or how much she works out, Lara keeps gaining weight. As she goes from a size 5 to 24, Lara realizes just how much of her identity is based on appearances. People are treating Lara differently now, like just another despised fat girl. Even her own parents seem more concerned with how she looks than who she is on the inside. What if Lara’s weight is something she cannot change? Will she ever be able to accept it? Lara’s plight is an adolescent girl’s nightmare. But the story of how she learns to deal with her problems offers valuable lessons in self-acceptance. Award-winning author Cherie Bennett presents difficult body image issues with honesty and sensitivity. Through Christina Moore’s dramatic delivery, Lara’s frustrations and triumphs become intensely real.