Artichoke's Heart

With a blend of honesty, humor, and Southern charm, this poignant coming-of-age novel offers a refreshing take on self-acceptance and the power of inner strength.

“This has the breezy fun of recent YA chick lit, but with an uncommon heroine dealing with serious issues.”—School Library Journal

“Artichoke’s Heart is delicious! Suzanne Supplee has written a brave, sensitive story that will inspire girls of all sizes.”—Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Rosemary Goode has never been the prettiest or the most popular girl in school. How could she be, when she tips the scale at almost 200 pounds and lists Sara Lee and Oprah as her only real friends? And it sure doesn’t help that her mother runs the most successful (and gossipiest!) beauty shop in town, where everyone scrutinizes her from her highlights down to her pedicure.

But when the scale reaches an all-time high, and she takes special notice of a certain cute boy in school, Rosemary realizes that not only do things need to change, but she wants them to change. And so begins a powerful year of transformation and a journey towards self-discovery that surprisingly has little to do with the physical, and more to do with an honest look at how Rosemary feels about herself.