Life in the Fat Lane

There's a perfect girl at every school. Beautiful. Talented. Smart. Great parents. Cool boyfriend. You can't even hate her because she's so nice. Lara Ardeche is the perfect girl—and the prom queen—at her high school. But when allergy medication causes her to gain 70 pounds, her world is transformed—same girl on the inside, different girl on the outside. She's certain she can take off the weight with diet and exercise—it's just a matter of will power. Only Lara just keeps getting fatter. Her serious struggle is juxtaposed against the alluring come-ons and comic voices of pop culture weight-loss gurus, all of whom promise that they alone hold the key to weight-loss success. After her massive weight gain, the world as Lara knows it begins to crumble. Who will stay by her side? Her image-conscious family? Her shallow friends? Her handsome boyfriend? Or will she be left alone in the land of the fat girls? Lara's answers come in a form she never expected. Her journey will resonate with teens of all ages and both sexes who struggle to fit in. Commissioned by the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and winner of the Lazarus-Macy New Play Award. The novel won several book awards, including the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.