Riley's solidly in denial when her parents send her to an in-patient treatment facility for her anorexia. The 12-year-old is eager to fix her problem and get back to her regular life of school, friends, and track, but of course, it's not that easy. In introspective journal entries, Riley traces the circuitous path of her gradual growth to a healthier approach to food and body image. Her entries describe individual and group therapy, her interactions with her fellow patients, and changes she notices about her body and eating habits, but it's the deep self-reflection about her family and friends that's the most illuminating. While the story is a tad purposeful, its journal format realistically reveals the up-and-down progress of therapy and recovery, and crucially, Petro-Roy makes the point that Riley is not "cured" ther than "fixing" her problem in her program, Riley developed the skills to face down her disordered thinking and make healthier choices about her habits and thoughts. Well-developed secondary characters, especially Riley's therapist, round out this supportive, honest, and empowering novel about mental health. For Petro-Roy's nonfiction exploration of eating disorders and recovery, see our review of You Are Enough, on page 48.

When she's first hospitalized for anorexia, twelve-year-old Riley wonders, "If I'm not skinny, who will I be?" After almost two months at the facility--where she makes friends, rediscovers a passion for art, works with a therapist, and eats--she finally acknowledges, "I am Riley." Written as journal entries, the epistolary novel believably captures Riley's disordered thinking and difficult road toward recovery.

Twelve-year-old Riley chronicles her two-month stay in the hospital, where she is being treated for anorexia. Before her hospitalization, Riley felt secondary to her perfect gymnast younger sister, and after a mean girl mocks Riley as -overweight- following a school BMI testing, a voice inside her, which Riley dubs -Ed- (short for -eating disorder-), tells her that she needs to eat less and lose weight. Riley struggles against the voice with the help of her therapist, Willow, as well as the girls in her therapy group; her roommate, Ali, meanwhile, secretly does crunches at night to stay thin and challenges Riley to join her. Riley is initially desperate not to gain weight, but she slowly faces her past and finds the strength to believe the healthy voice telling her to take care of herself. Petro-Roy (P.S. I Miss You), an eating disorder survivor, offers an intimate and realistic portrayal of Riley-s destructive thinking patterns as well as her victories and setbacks. A powerful, well-told, and authentic story. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Feb.)