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The Best Little Girl in the World

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The voice of Joanna, the author of this book review, comes through as she reveals her concern for teenagers’ vulnerability to eating disorders..

The Best Little Girl in the World

In the book The Best Little Girl in the World, Kessa has a serious eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. But she is not alone. Many people have this eating disorder, and this book shows its harmful effects. This is an emotional and invigorating story of a determined girl and her fight to survive.

In the beginning of her story, Kessa is a normal 15-year-old. She has many talents, especially dancing. She has danced for many years and loves it. One day her dance teacher tells her to continue eating right, but maybe lose a few pounds. Once Kessa hears this, she takes things too far. Instead of cutting down on snacks and junk food, she decides to not eat at all. She does not eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Her new eating habits continue, and she begins losing weight. One after another, she loses the pounds, and her body becomes slimmer and slimmer. She loses weight to a point where she is extremely unhealthy.

As her poor eating habits continue, her parents start interfering. They want to get as much help as possible to cure their beautiful daughter. But it is just as hard for Kessa’s parents to deal with her disorder as it is for her. They are baffled by their daughter’s strict diet. She lives day in and day out, exercising to lose more pounds and planning what and when she will eat. Her parents try everything, but Kessa’s dieting continues. She is determined to have no fat on her body.

Her obsession continues. Kessa’s doctor and parents finally decide to admit her to the hospital. She is now so skinny that she can barely walk. There, she goes through a nightmare. Despite good care, all Kessa can think about is how much weight she might gain.

Throughout the rest of the book, Kessa goes through many troubles in order to cure her eating disorder. Many other people have this same disorder. This book, I think, can help to prevent people from doing this to themselves. It shows the trouble that people go through just to be slender, and all the scary things they must experience to be cured. It is an emotionally powerful book about a girl’s fight to survive, and I think every teenager should read it.

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