Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher*****

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is about Eric and his best friend Sarah. Eric and Sarah have always been outcasts in their school because they are fat and ugly. Sarah has grown up with burns all over her body, which she said happened when she pulled a pot of spaghetti over herself, and Eric is very overweight (until he starts swimming). As Eric becomes more fit, Sarah stops talking and is sent to the hospital. Eric manages to get her to talk, and they form a plan: Ms. Lemery, who is Eric swim coach, will take Sarah home with her, and then will take Sarah to see her mother, who is the only one who can help Sarah escape her past.

This book made me realize that some people have harder lives than others, and nobody should be judged by their appearance. You never know what somebody's life is really like. This is a book for high schoolers.