Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Author:Chris Crutcher

ISBN:978-0060094898

Publication Information:Greenwillow Books

Plot Summary: Sarah and Eric have been friends since junior high, bonded together by being "terminal uglies." Eric, because he was fat, really fat, and Sarah because she severely burned herself at three years old when she pulled a pot of spaghetti off the stove. But in High School, when Eric joins the swim team, his extra weight starts to come off. Eric is beginning to lose his "uglies" and is terrified that he'll lose Sarah as well, so he begins to gorge himself to keep the weight on. Sarah eventually catches on, and is reassured that they'll still be friends, all the while threatening Eric for being dumb enough to "stay fat for Sarah Byrnes". But the strength of their relationship is really put to the test when a traumatic event lands Sarah in a psychiatric ward. Sarah becomes non-responsive and Eric can't seem to get through to her. Will Eric be able to crack through Sarah's shell and find out what happened to her? More importantly, if he does, will he be able to make everything okay?

Critical Evaluation: Chris Crutcher is a masterful writer. He is able to take a truly tragic story and inject it with humor, all the while not taking away from Sarah's horrific experience. His character are all extremely well developed, and all go though mini changes throughout the novel, without taking the focus off of Eric and Sarah's relationship. The plot is extremely fast, and is such a page turner that I finished the novel in one sitting. Sarah's father was an intense villian, and while I found him to be almost over the top at times, I have no doubt that people like Virgil are out there. This book made me laugh and cry, and surely deserves its place at the top of any best YA booklist. Highly recommended.

Reader's Annotation: Eric and Sarah have always been friends, bonded by being "terminal uglies". But in high school, their lives begin to take different paths, and the strength of their friendship is tested.

Author Information: Chris Crutcher was born on July 17, 1946 in Dayton, Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology from Eastern Washington College. He then went on to receive his teaching credential, and began to teach at risk kids from K-12. As well as teaching, Crutcher has worked as a therapist, a children's advocate, and of course, as a writer. He is the author of several books, and many have appeared either on Booklist's Top 100 or ALA "Best Books for Young Adults", or both. Several of his books, including Sarah Bryrnes, are currently being developed into a movie (information taken from the author's website http://www.chriscrutcher.com/content/blogcategory/20/9/)

Curricular Ties: Psychology, Health

Genre:Thriller, Issues

Book talking ideas:

• Why did Sarah feel comfortable telling Dale about her father, but not Eric?
• Would you be interested in taking Ms. Lemry's class if it was offered at your school?
• What would you do if you were Sarah's best friend? Would you go to an adult for help? Why or why not?
  

Challenge issues:Violence

• Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
• Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
• Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
  
• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
• Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.

Interest Age:Grades 10 and up

Why I selected this piece: This is a classic YA novel. I had to read it and include it on the blog.