Artichoke Hearts by Suzanne Supplee

Supplee, Suzanne. Artichoke Hearts. Speak: 2009. ISBN: 0142414271

Plot

Rosemary is in high school and is having problems dealing with her weight, a boy crush, and on top of that she just found out that her mother has cancer. Rosemary has always been overweight and has been dealing with people talking to her about it all the time. Her mother and aunt are constantly giving her tips, giving her diet fads, and other types of advise to losing weight. Rosemary has never had a boyfriend and feels that she never will unless she loses weight. Rosemary has a crush on a football player, Kyle, and when they begin dating Rosemary life seems easier but she still has personal issues to dealt with. These issues are the least of her worries since her mother has been recently diagnosed with cancer.

Critical Evaluation

Rosemary is the insecure girl that hide or is inside of us. Her weight has always been a problem but she never does anything to change with it. Rosemary discovers that there is more to life than thinking about her weight all the time and with the help of her friend Becca she is able to overcome of her fear and begins to lose weight. With the impact of the media many girls feel that there bodies are inadequate compared to those seen in magazines and in movies. Cancer is also an issue, especially when a closed loved one is affected. This book would allow tween to identify with the main character. The main age group would be 12-14 since a self body image becomes more apparent at this age

Reader's Annotation

Rosemary is the fat girl at school but when her mother is diagnosed her cancer she begins to lose weight. When Rosemary begins to lose weight are her problems solved or do they become more difficult?

Information about the Author

While Supplee was writing Artichoke Hearts, her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died months later. Working on this novel helped her in several ways. She identified with her character Rosemary very well. She had no father and had a sick mother like Rosemary. The novel was a very therapeutic experience for her.

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties

English

Booktalking Ideas

1) Quote from book when Rosemary is weighing herself and is proud that she lost weight but then ask her mom how she is dealing with the chemo

2) Discuss how Rosemary is feeling when the book begins

3) Does the media affect the way people look at themselves?
a) What can we do to prevent it?
Reading Level/Interest Age

Gr. 8 - 10

Why included in selection?

On a list of tween books.