Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Welp–a week happened. Whoops! I suppose I was preoccupied with a friend’s family struggles, a Sunday School lesson, making rolls and pumpkin bars the morning of Fast Sunday, and a funeral which the entire family I grew up in attended. (A family friend we knew in RI; he was over 80.) Here I am, though, and this morning I’m reviewing Maggie Edkins Willis’s Smaller Sister, which (after a fair amount of deliberation) I just ordered for my 13-year-old for Christmas. (I don’t think she reads my blog regularly, but if she actually does and is reading this–Child, stop now!)

I deliberated for as long as I did because Smaller Sister isn’t a light read; it deals with anorexia and disordered eating, and there are some heartbreaking mean girl experiences there for good measure. On the other hand, it deals with a sister relationship that struggles as the sisters struggle but survives, and its message about body image resonated strongly with me. My 12-year-old has always gravitated towards the emotionally complex, and positive/hopeful messages/outcomes for difficult situations? That’s something I don’t mind her rereading more than once. Our daughters–and those of us who love them–should definitely read this one.