Customer Reviews

Jelly Belly

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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!

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)

I read this book in elementary school, just after it was reissued in 1983. Kids, this was one of my favorite books all through school-- and I remember it to this day!

I think "Jelly Belly" has an important lesson about balance. Ned has to learn how to balance eating with moderation-- not eating too much, or too often.

He has to balance this healthy lifestyle with the influences all around him-- including eating a different meal in front of his family, who can eat foods with oil and fat.

And he has to balance his need to diet with not hurting his grandmother's feelings, because when he can't eat the treats she makes him, she feels really sad and like Ned doesn't love her. She and Ned BOTH need to learn about his new diet and understand that, although it is tough to stick to, it will make him feel better.

Many kids have to deal with something that makes them different and that other people just don't understand. That's what this story is really about-- not just about dieting.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did when I was your age.

Nathaniel is an 11 year old kid, but his parents named him Ned. Ned lives in a blue house. Ned weighs 114 pounds. Ned is overweight, thus the title. Ned went to camp Lean-Too, because his parents made him go. Ned lost 14 pounds. Ned hated the food at camp. Ned got out of camp; his dad said if you lose 25 more pounds, we will go to Disney World. Will Ned go to Disney World? I recommend this book to all readers. This book is hilarious.

Jelly Belly is a good book about balance. It's a little bit old...try ,like, 15 years, but is okay. Ned dealing with his weight problem makes readers sympathize with him. He wants to get thin, but he eats and snacks way too much. Then he gets sent to a "fat farm" and meets some new friends. The rest of the book has a very "diary" feel to it, with Ned talking about his weight "changes" (I'm just going to leave it at that...)
The book has a very dated feel to it, thanks to the rather HORRIBLE, cartoony, exagerated, and mis-informed illustrations and the laughable character relationships. For instance, at the "family day" at camp, Ned says "sucks". His dad corrects him...that's pretty 1986. All in all, an okay fat story.

I think "Jelly Belly" has an important lesson about balance. Ned has to learn how to balance eating with moderation not eating too much, or too often. He has to balance this healthy lifestyle with the influences all around him including eating a different meal in front of his family, who can eat foods with oil and fat. He has to balance his need to diet with not hurting his grandmother's feelings, because when he can't eat the treats she makes him, she feels really sad and like Ned doesn't love her. She and Ned BOTH need to learn about his new diet and understand that, although it is tough to stick to, it will make him feel better. Many kids have something that makes them different and other people just don't understand. That's what this story is really about not just about dieting.

i have read this book dozens of times and still not tired of it i dunno it is the greatest book ever its funny its just really good Robert Kimmel Smith did a really good job writing this book such a great book it has the charctar Ned who goes to this fat camp(camp lean too) and meets some other freinds(richard etc.) and they find ways to get candy and other snacks and his grandma doesnt care if hes fat and encourages him to eat what he wants will ned get caught stealing candy will he lose the weight read the book for yourself and hey a sweet deal of 5 bucks im sold! GREAT BOOK
1000000% JOB ROBERT KIMMEL SMITH!!!

Ned, the main character, is sent to a fat camp. I like his adventures at the camp. I also like his grandmother who keeps telling Ned not to eat sweets. I would recomend this book to kids who want to escape from fat camp.

This book was very funny. Ned and his buddies went to diet camp and learned not to cheat but to do things the right way.