Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies [Paperback]

Erin Dionne (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn?t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she?s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste?because, after all, a thin girl can?t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

A hilarious debut featuring friendship, family, mean girls and even celebrity crushes, Celeste?s story is a delicious treat that doesn?t add a pound.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Celeste’s meddling aunt enters her in the Miss Husky Peach Pageant for “larger sized girls,” the eighth-grader quails at the thought of the teasing that’s sure to follow, though the idea of modeling has its appeal. Reasoning that if she loses enough weight, she’ll be ineligible for the contest, Celeste finds the motivation to skip snacks and even to exercise. Along the way, she begins to express her individuality through the unlikely vehicle of a beauty contest. Successes, flops, humiliations, and recoveries are all part of the pageant process, and even girls who don’t see themselves as potential models will enjoy Celeste’s account of her experiences. The wry first-person narrative also provides convincing views of middle-school friendships, family dynamics, and incremental personal growth. The ending may be a bit too rosy for absolute realism, but readers rooting for Celeste won’t complain. A light, well-paced first novel. Grades 6-8. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

It's a clever premise...engaging [scenes]...readers will warm to Celeste. --Kirkus Reviews

The wry, funny tone makes this book a pleasurable read, and teens of all body types will enjoy Celeste's original voice. --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dial (February 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803732961
• ISBN-13: 978-0803732964
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Weight

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So that's why I'm not a model-Fun, quick read, June 24, 2009

By 

Debbie's World of Books "Debbie's World of Books" (Union City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it's because I have a soft spot for overweight young girls being as that was me in middle school and high school. I thought Dionne handled the weight issue very well showing that while eating healthy and exercising can help you lose weight what is really important is how you feel about yourself. Celeste was a loveable character who you have to feel sorry for as she is picked on by by the "popular" kids and abandoned by her best friend. This story was a nice mix of humor, discovering what is really important in friendships and most of all being confident in yourself no matter how you feel you may look.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Munching down on a great book!, December 21, 2009

By 

Jozy Sanlar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies (Paperback)

Talk about a good book! "Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies" is a novel that I will never forget. It combines the two problems that some girl teens may ponder about: if they are getting fat and facing the queen bee in school. Erin Dionne mixed together the plot perfectly, and I finished the book in a single day. I was unwilling to put it down. I would recommend this to all teenage girls around me.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies, October 25, 2009

By 

Alexandra Cenni "Poisoned Rationality" (hamilton, nj USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies (Paperback)

I laughed, a lot, at this book. Well not at the book but with the book. As a middle-schooler I had been teeny-tiny in every way possible (height, weight, voice) so while I never got the taunts of 'Mooooo' from my classmates, I did get height jokes a plenty. And mouse jokes. I felt as if Celeste and I had a lot in common (not just the love of cookies) and that made me root for her the entire time.

I admit her attempts to wreck her chances at Miss Husky Peach (husky, who in their right mind would refer to a girl as 'husky'?) were fun and creative. I was thrilled that she didn't angst about the fact she was chubby neither before or after her Operation Skinny Celeste plan. She might not have been thrilled with being chubby, but she didn't spend most of the book whining about it and trying unhealthy methods to lose weight.

And her positive message I think won me over. Just because we're not all size zero doesn't mean we're any better or worse for it. Its how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself. Sure eating cookies instead of veggies isn't healthy, but why deny yourself a treat every so often? Learn to balance out everything and in the end you'll be a happier you.