betweentheshelves's profile picture

betweentheshelves 's review for:

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
5.0
challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a quick read, mostly due to it being in verse, but man. It does not shy away from packing a punch. As I was listening to this, I was trying to think of middle grade books that I know of that tackle this particular issue of eating disorders, and I can't think of very many? I know there are quite a few YA books that tackle this issue with older teens, but not a lot with younger teens. I appreciate that they can have this kind of representation, and that it's done so well.

Jake struggles so much in this book with his mental health, mostly a result of severe middle school bullying. What I appreciated about his journey in this book was the way that Schu shows that recovering from a mental illness like an eating disorder isn't a linear line. You'll have good days and you'll have bad days. But if you have the right tools, it can help to deal with those bad days.

Such a well-written book that I hope makes it into the hands of teens that need it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings