Jamie

Keeping the Moon By: Sarah Dessen "Colie was always outcasted for being overweight, but when she lost a lot of weight, she earned a reputation that she did not deserve. She met two girls that she thought she could trust, especially after her past came to haunt her. More than anything, though, she met a boy thought to be as crazy as her aunt by all of the people in town. Colie was afraid to be seen with him and afraid to be seen with her aunt because of what everyone else around them though. Gossip was everywhere and since she'd already been the subject of gossip, Colie wanted to steer clear of anything that could hurt her. " **-Elissa, Resident Scholar**

"Because her aerobics-star mother is taking her famous weight-loss program to Europe, 15-year-old Colie leaves her home in Charlotte to spend the summer with her endearing but uncompromisingly unusual Aunt Mira in coastal Colby, NC. Colie has recently dropped 45 pounds, but unlike her positive-thinking mother, the teen has not succeeded in shedding her negative self-image. With this change of scene, she hopes to escape her role as social victim." **-Lisa Demopulos, Resident Scholar**

"Coli (short for Nicole) has a famous mother, who showed women around the country that they can be determined to get fit. Now Colie has lost weight just like her mother, but she still doesn't seem to fit in with other people. Now her mother is touring in Europe, and Colie has to stay in North Carolina with her Aunt Mira. Colie still lacks confidence, especially after running into some classmates who still tease her and spread hurtful rumors. But with the help of fellow waitresses Isabel and Morgan, she finds a part of her she can really love and appreciate. She has true friends here, not to mention a boy who she never expected to be with." -**Anonymous**

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"There it was, that dry spot in the back of my throat, and instantly I was fat again, my face broken out, pulling my black trenchcoat tighter and tighter to hide myself. Except I didn't have my coat or those forty-five-and-a-half pounds. I was a wide-open target."

"I looked at her: perfect figure, perfect hair, gorgeous and self-confident. If I looked like Isabel, no one could touch me."

"Norman is the nicest, sweetest boy I've ever met. If you think he's not good enough for you, you must be better than any of us."



For my first passage, I wrote about how she had seemed to be fat again. I chose this passage because Colie's mom really cared about Colie's weight as well as her own. After her mom got her to lose the weight, she felt different. However, every time that somebody said something mean to Colie or somebody that she knew when she was fat saw her, she felt like she wasn't skinny anymore. Her being fat was a big pain. When her friend, Caroline Dawes, came into her restaurant, everything had changed to her. She felt betrayed and horrible. And, that's what she hated most. It's what really showed who Colie was.

For my second passage, I wrote about how Colie thinks about how beautiful Isabel is. Isabel kept telling Colie that she knew how she felt when she got made fun of for being fat. Colie kept telling her that she had no idea because of how pretty she was and how everyone loved her. Isabel always gave Colie advice on how to stand up for herself and do put her head up and not let anyone bring her down, and it always worked. Isabel was always there for anyone when they needed help. That's because she was really just like Colie, but no one ever knew it.

For my third passage, I wrote about Norman. Norman was always the nice guy who you could count on for anything. He was also really good friends with Colie. At this time, Colie had liked another boy. She just didn't know one thing; Norman liked her. When she found out, she told Isabel and Morgan that she didn't like him like that. But, after a long talk that Isabel and Colie had, Colie realized she did like him. Isabel told her this quote and I think this is the quote that changed Colie's feelings for Norman. Colie had always trusted Isabel, so she knew she was right about this. This quote not only shows who Norman is, but it shows how Isabel feels about him.

The video I put on here was made by another person. However, I chose this video because it describes everything that happens in the book clearly. It talks and shows how Colie didn't have many friends and how she got made fun of a lot. It showed how even though she only had two friends, she was able to get through everything because the two friends she had was all she needed. The video describes the boy that she ended up falling in love with when at first, she thought he was the weird type. It gives you a nice, clear idea of everything that happens in the book, from Colie and her mom losing weight to Colie being loved and gorgeous. This video was an awesome example of the book.

The first photo is of an eclipse. I never really got why the book was called, "Keeping the Moon" until towards the end of the book. Norman talks about his childhood and how when he saw the eclipse for the first time and it went away, that people were keeping the moon forever. By putting this picture on here, it shows the type of person Norman is inside. Through the whole book, he sort of hides his feelings, but after it tells you about the eclipse, your mind changes everything you thought about him to something different. It made me like him even more knowing that he thought that strongly about things. The eclipse shows the turning point in the story.

The second photo is a before-and-after picture of a woman who lost weight. Weight was the whole issue through the whole book. Colie's mom worked as a trainer for people who needed to lose weight and her mom was really strict on Colie about what she ate and did so that she wouldn't gain the weight back. People always made fun of Colie at her old schools and current school because of her weight. After losing it, everything changed. People acted differently to her, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad. Her getting skinny really impacted on her life and she hated being known for being fat. Isabel showed Colie that even though she was fat doesn't neccesarily mean she wasn't beautiful.