From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. Carmen, 14, is distressed when her mother, Maria, insists that they leave Yorkshire (and Carmen's stepfather) and move to Birmingham, where Maria's family lives. But Maria is wildly erratic because of her eating disorder, and as she starts her new life, she insists that Carmen ("Piggy") join her on endless diets and incessant exercise--until Carmen succumbs. In a casual nonreflective voice, Carmen tells her story, which, for the reader, will seem a bit like watching a car chase. The narrative is repetitive and nothing really happens, yet you're holding your breath the whole time, and can't turn away. Bell does a masterful job of describing what anorexia looks like from the outside: irrational, bewildering, compulsive. She lures readers into thinking that the illness will be observed from a distance, until Carmen almost mindlessly becomes bulimic. Some adult characters try to help--mostly ineffectually--but at book's conclusion there are still questions about how things will end for the mother and daughter. This has some nonexplicit sex and a little rough language, much of which is British slang. Ilene Cooper
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Review

"Grim, gritty, real. Massive is an important, cautionary tale of the dangerous pairing of food and self-esteem. Thought provoking."

-- Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist

"For every girl who's fat or thin or in between, Massive is terrific. Julia Bell's Carmen knows how it feels to want to scream but to grit your teeth instead."

-- Gail Giles, author of Shattering Glass and Dead Girls Don't Write Letters.

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