I have a hard time finding books to read. I visit my favorite book blogs each day and if their is a book that gets a good review, I will read that. I am a picky reader and not a fan of some genres which is why you will NEVER see a science fiction or mystery book on here. It is one of my weaknesses as a reader and book blogger. I tend to pick the same "types" of books and I guess I am not very well-rounded in that regard. When goodreads.com raved about Fat Cat, I knew I had to check it out for myself. I was not disappointed at all! This book is different from my usual "chick lit" books and even though it is classified as YA, there is plenty of substance to interest adults. The science project aspect in this book makes it different from others books and allowed it to stand out from similar YA novels. Catherine Locke is required to participate in science fair for Mr. Fizer's science class. Not only does she have to participate, but the entire project is based on a picture that she pulls from his stack. So, imagine Catherine's dilemma when she ends up with a picture of an early Neanderthal. Cat knows she needs to find inspiration for this picture to devise a truly great experiment, not only to win the science fair, but to fulfill her long quest to beat her rival and former best friend, Matt McKinney. I loved how Cat jumped at the challenge before her with so much determination and grit. She used the science assignment to begin a year-long quest to determine how her body would respond to living life like the early hominis. This experiment meant she had to give up modern technology, walk everywhere, and eat only what could be produced. As an overweight teen, she wanted her experiment to improve her physical state and return her body to its "natural condition." The author uses a clever journal format in the novel that allows the reader to see how the experiment progresses while she reveals pieces of Catherine's life. As the pounds started melting off Cat, I could not stop reading because I really wanted to see how the experiment concluded. I was impressed with the author's ability to drop little hints and use foreshadowing to keep the reader interested. As soon as I decided to put the book down and do something productive, I would get to a cliffhanger line and of course, I would have to keep reading. This put the book in the category of "has to be read in a night." My advice is not to start it unless you have a few hours to read it from start to finish. I thought this book was going to be a typical makeover story but it involves a much deeper message about beauty and how to discover and love who we are on the inside.
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