More Than You Can Chew

Winner of the Society of School Librarians International’s Best Book Award – Language Arts, Grades 7-12 NovelsWinner of the 2005 White Pine Awards, Fiction categorySelected for inclusion in the Best Books for the Teen Age 2004 List by the New York Public LibraryNominated for Snow Willow Award (The Saskatchewan Young Reader’s Choice Awards)Nominated for the Canadian Library Association’s 2004 Young Adult Canadian Book AwardMore than You Can Chew has been called a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for young adults.Marty Black has retreated from a difficult family situation into the area she can best control, her own appetites. She may not be able to control her parents’ behavior, but she can decide what she will and will not eat. Eventually, she stops eating altogether. Marty is close to death when she finally asks for help and finds herself in a psychiatric institution. But recognizing her need for help is only the first tenuous step on a long road to recovery.Marty’s ability to find a way to live, despite the powerful lure of anorexia, is the core of this fine, insightful novel.Marnelle Tokio’s semi autobiographical story will resonate with every teenager who faces issues of family, body image, and self-confidence.