Jelly Belly [Paperback]

Robert Kimmel Smith (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

It's tough for eleven-year-old Ned to stop eating. At four-feet-eight inches tall he weighs one hundred and nine pounds, and he keeps growing--wider. When his pareents send him to a summer diet camp, he and his bunkmates can't quite give up their old habits. The joys of candy and doughnuts are so appealing that "cheating" adventures seems to be the only answer. The problem, of course, is how to lose weight and keep eating sweets. When Ned finally realizes that there is only one way to lose weight for good, his whole family is glad to help, except Grandma. How can he resist temptation without hurting his grandma and himself?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

It's tough for eleven-year-old Ned to stop eating. At four-feet-eight inches tall he weighs one hundred and nine pounds, and he keeps growing--wider. When his pareents send him to a summer diet camp, he and his bunkmates can't quite give up their old habits. The joys of candy and doughnuts are so appealing that "cheating" adventures seems to be the only answer. The problem, of course, is how to lose weight and keep eating sweets. When Ned finally realizes that there is only one way to lose weight for good, his whole family is glad to help, except Grandma. How can he resist temptation without hurting his grandma and himself?

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (March 15, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440442079
• ISBN-13: 978-0440442073
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Weight

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reflections from a first generation reader, May 31, 2005

By 

Cool Jersey Girl (Fords, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jelly Belly (Paperback)

I was about the same age as the fictional Ned when this book first came out in the 1980's. And, like Ned, I also battled my weight. I thoroughly enjoyed the book then, and I would highly recommend it now. Robert Kimmel Smith takes on the complex problem of weight management and presents it in a humorous and age-appropriate manner, without being preachy or simplistic. Although some readers complained that the writing style was "dated," the material is even more relevant today since the problem of childhood obesity has gotten worse, not better, over the last twenty years.

Ned is eleven-years-old and has a loving family, great friends, an active school life...and an extra thirty pounds hanging off his slight frame. That excess weight has become the main focus in Ned's life, as he tries to reconcile all the conflicting messages from everyone around him: his parents, who want to help him knock off the pounds and be healthy; his grandma, who equates love with feeding her family yummy homemade treats; his schoolmates, who taunt him with cries of "Jelly Belly!"; and his newfound friends at summer camp who are resentful of being sent to diet camp and rebel by concocting schemes to sneak in contraband goodies.

The bulk of the story takes place at Camp Lean-Too, a summer diet camp where the goal is to lose weight and also gain a new healthy lifestyle. To give Ned a jump start on losing weight, his parents decide to send him to Camp Lean-Too, instead of the summer camp Ned normally goes to with his friends. Ned arrives at Camp Lean-Too angry and depressed, missing his old camp. Almost immediately he befriends three of his new bunkmates--Richard, Darrell ("Hog"), and Max. Richard and Hog are veteran campers with good reason: they detest the system and do everything possible to circumvent it. Throughout his entire stay at Camp Lean-Too, Ned is torn between his cravings for sweets and other forbidden foods, his desire to be liked and accepted by his new crowd, and his genuine deep-down burning desire to actually lose the weight. Almost symbolically, Ned's weight yo-yo's over the course of the book. Smith hits the situation dead-on, as Ned struggles with numerous tough decisions, all of which have real positive and negative consequences that occur simultaneously.

As a last-ditch effort to entice Ned to lose weight, Ned's father promises him a trip to Disney World IF he can lose a certain amount of weight within a set time frame. Will Ned lose the weight? Will he get to go to Disney World? Or will the lure of delicious, fatty food be too much? I won't tell; you'll just have to read! I will say this: along the way, Ned learns some valuable lessons and gains a new understanding of himself and others...something that continually eludes other characters in the book.

As a side note, some reviewers complained about the use of certain off-color words. Without condoning cursing, in junior high, we were saying those and much worse. Even in 1986. Before you condemn the book for that alone, look at the whole picture and talk to your kids about cursing and why it is unacceptable. Other than that, all in all, highly recommended reading.

So grab a diet soda and some sugar-free, nonfat chocolate pudding, sit back and enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fernanda's book review!, November 5, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jelly Belly (Paperback)

This book was about a boy named Nathaniel but they called him "Ned", he was too fat. He was so scared to mean people, and also to a boy at school, and that's why he couldn't take the bus anymore. One day his parents told him that he was going to a camp to lose pounds. He didn't like the idea, but he had to do it. At camp he met a lot of friends and he lost 14 pounds. When he went to camp his weight was 114 punds, so now he was 100 pounds. When he came back from camp, his dad told him that if his weight was 75 pounds, he would take all the family to Disney World. You should read the book to find out if his dad took them to Disney World. I recommend it a lot... Its cool!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very funny- exciting from cover-to-cover!!!, June 30, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jelly Belly (Paperback)

Funny, yet sometimes I wonder why I even read a book a fat kid trying to lose weight. The only answer is that it is funny, exciting, interesting, and suspenseful. You sometimes feel as if you really are Nathaniel.... well, better not give the whole story away, so I'll just finish it.
IT IS A GREAT, SUPER, AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC BOOK!!! YOU ARE NOT WASTING A PENNY ON IT!!! BELIEVE ME!!! (but not my sister)