Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

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Summary: Irrational plot
Review: The main characters in this book are Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune. Sarah Byrnes is a friend of Eric who has a severly burned face. Eric is a obese, unpopular student who confides his trust in Sarah. All of a sudden Sarah stops talking in the middle of class and is sent to a mental institution. This marks the turning point in Eric and Sarah's relationship and the truth behind Sarah's face.
After reading this book I have several opinions about it. The book had a very strong moral which was "never give up on your friends". I believe the moral was a very good one. I also believe this book could help kids who are in similiar situations.
My seond opinion is about the plot. I think the plot of this book was irrational andimprobable. The plot was also boring and made me feel like I was reading a Disney story. The only thing that made the book readable was the characters.

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Summary: Trust, Secrets, and Friendship
Review: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is an amazing story about two ugly best friends helping each other in life. Sarah was burned severely when she was three years old leaving her with an ugly face for the rest of her life. Her best friend Eric Calhoune is some fat kid trying to make it in life. Once Eric joins the swim team in high school and loses weight, he fears he will lose his best friend. When Sarah sits silent in the hospital, Eric tries everything to get her to talk. But when Eric finds out the truth of Sarah's burning and why she came to the hospital, her life is not only in danger but his as well. This book kept me on my toes the whole entire time especially in the middle of the book because it was so intense and kept me reading till the end.

Rating:
Summary: Staying Fat
Review: Chris Crutcher writes a very established plot in "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes". The book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Eric Calhoune finds a friend in burn victim Sarah Byrnes. When Sarah stops talking and is addmitted to an institute, Eric gets worried. He starts to uncover some of Sarah's past and finds out someone is responsible for deliberatly burning Sarah. There is a good cast of characters in this novel that keep it like what high schools like. This is a good read for anybody wanting some insite of what true friendship is.

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Summary: whittney from richview middle school
Review: this story is about two friends a boy named eric calhoun aka mody for his heavy weight and swimming abilities and a girl named sarah byrnes who when she was 3 yrs old had an accident that left her face and hands badly scarred up. they both were made fun of by the kids at their school, mody though let everyone walk all over him. sarah wasn't having that and was a tough girl who would beat you up if you said things about her to her face. as you can see they were very diffrent but their outcast ways brought them together as friends.
when they got to high school mody makes the swim team and begins to shed so of his weight , afrid that this might put an end to his and sarah's friendship he begins eating tons of food trying to stay fat for her.when sarah figures this out she tells him that he is stupid even though she is glad that he is not going to drop her like she thought he would.
finally sarah's terrible past is coming back to her and she is horrified. she enters scared heart mental hospital and acts like she can't speak or talk. there are two people who aren't falling for this act; mody and sarah's dad mr.byrnes , who is a mean man that sarah never talks about but you can tell she doesn't like . things start making since and the truth about sarah's family past starts piecing back together, her dad is abusive and was the one that burnt her face ,which has ruined her life. he is the one to blame foor all her problems and is at his worst again. that is why she had to escape . mody is the only one that can help her now. but it is not going to be easy because mr.byrnes will do anything to keep his family secrect quiet!
i liked this book alot because it taught me a lesson about not judging people from their looks or actions because you may not know why they are that way. it also showed me i shouldn't lock up my feelings or thgey will get the best of me and the truth needs to come out. this book brought up tons of real life issues that many people have to face but sheds some light saying that things can get better and you can have your happily ever after!

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Summary: Grammar Lesson?
Review: I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Crutcher and have him sign any book from a large selection available at the signing. I chose Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes at random. The book started off well enough but I immediately was puzzled at some of the wording found within the text. Many sentences were quite awkward to read. My wife and I are both educators and were amazed at the poor sentence structure and vernacular used throughout. Many of the words I have never heard in the vocabulary of someone in their late teens (which is the age of the protagonist in the story). As the book wears on, Mr. Crutcher feels the need the raise the number of curse words per page. Seriously, in one particular chapter, the characters seems as if they have just discovered the word s***. The storyline about friendships changing as peer groups and personas evolve is a familiar, but welcome one. My fault is not with the "message" but the way the message is delivered.

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Summary: ...
Review: STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES is an terrific book about survival, friendship and hope with characters millions have come to love. The "12-year-old" reviewer may not like the fact that Crutcher addresses tough human issues like child abuse, religious uncertainty and abortion, but there is nothing "cardboard" about any aspect of this book. Like all of his novels, it's first rate storytelling with heart and humor.

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Summary: The liberal stance doesn't annoy me; the poor writing does
Review: Probably the reason kids read this book in so many schools is they want to get these tough issues out on the table for discussion. That's great, but when an author is relying on controversy to sell his books, it starts to turn sour. The writing is nothing memorable, the flash-backs are confusing, and Eric is EXACTLY the same as all Crutcher's other heroes. Egotistical, athletically gifted and otherwise made of cardboard. Sarah is a slightly more interesting person, but Crutcher tries to make her an enigma by making her do out of character, confusing, motive-less things. All in all, if you want a WELL WRITTEN book that deals with the same issues, read A CATCHER IN THE RYE.

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Summary: Wow! Amazing book
Review: "Ain't it a trip where heroes come from." Chris Crutcher thus sums up the greatness found in many unexpected places. His book swings from this greatness to the loneliness, despair and even horror we find among the commonplace. "One thing I know: Families can get pretty messed up while they're looking pretty good."
This is a superbly-written and very moving book. Although it's a "teen" book, the plot is better, and the characters more "deep," multi-faceted and developed -- including many of the peripheral characters -- than many bestsellers in the "grown-up" book market.
Many deep issues are explored in this book; it will make both adult and teen readers think.
Yes, the book's conservative Christians are narrow-minded, but guess what? That's that way it usually is in real life. The new bookcover displayed on the amazon site doesn't fit the book's description of Eric "Moby" Calhoune's body or swimsuit -- it'd be nice if cover art were approved by the author.
I highly recommend this fantastic book!

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Summary: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes:A Great Book
Review: Something I really liked about Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was the plot. It was original, smart, and about something that could really happen. Also, I enjoyed the author, Chris Crutcher's, form of writing. I could hardly put the book down it was so exciting. I also really liked how all of the characters were different and interesting, and played a major part in the book. The three things I liked best about Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes were the writing style, characterization and plot.
One of the things I really enjoyed was the writing style throughout the whole book. Chris Crutcher knows how to write a story that keeps you on the edge of the seat until it's over and you've figured everything out. It is very detailed so you can picture everything in your head. "Without the spirit behind her eyes, Sarah Byrnes is truly one of the ugliest human beings outside of the circus. When she was three, as she tells it, she pulled a burning pot of spaghetti off the stove, onto herself, leaving horrible burn scars covering her face and hands." -from Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes This book really makes you think.
Another part of the book I liked was the characters in it. They were all unique and creative, and I was never sure what they would do next, and what the result of their action would be. All of the characters were described so well that I could picture them. They all had different personalities, some mean, some tough and some extremely caring. They all seemed like real people because they were so realistic. One of my favorite characters was Sarah Byrnes, the main character of the book. She is tough, smart and has incredible courage.
I especially enjoyed the plot of the book. A teenage girl, named Sarah Byrnes, is covered in terrible scars from a mysterious burn years ago. Her best friend has no other friends until he loses his extra weight by joining the swim team. Sarah is sure he will make new friends and leave her behind. Then, she suddenly freezes in her desk at school, and no one knows why. She stops talking to every one, even her best friend. Everyone wonders, why?, and will she wake up? Read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher, and find out. This book has it all, love, courage, bravery, and truth.
I really liked the writing style, characterization and plot of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. I think that this was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it to someone because of all the things I liked about it. For instance, the theme was one thing I really enjoyed, but there are many more good things to say about the book. If you haven't already read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, you should give it a try!

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Summary: Staying Fat Is Good!
Review: For my cybernet book report, I read a book entitled Staying Fat For Sarah Brynes by Chris Cutcher. This book was an insightful reading and a thoughtful book. It's a good book to read on Thanksgiving or other holidays because some characters in the book make you realize how lucky you are. I encourage you to read this book because there are characters in here that provide you with a different point of view toward life. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterization, plot and theme of Staying Fat For Sarah Brynes.
One example of why I enjoyed the books' descriptions of the characters is because they were so in depth. One of the main characters in the book is Sarah Brynes or "Scarface", why? Because of her face that is covered in scars from a mysterious accident that burned her face. The other main character is Eric Callhoune or "Moby" because of his large waistline. These characters are best friends and social outcasts. Sarah Brynes' father, Virgil Brynes, is one of the nastier characters as well as important characters in the book. Sarah and her father don't get along at all; one of the reasons is he won't let her get plastic surgery to help hide the scars that cover her entire face. Another important character is Mrs. Lemry, teacher of a controversial class called Contemporary American Thought, and coach of the swim team. In addition to these characters, there are many others. One is Dale Thornton, who is one of the roughest and toughest guys at Eric's school. Then there is Mark Brittain, a pastor's son who tries to preach about his beliefs at school. A last main character is Steve Ellbery, who is Eric's other good friend. They become friends from swim team and Ellbery helps Eric with his feelings on what to do with Sarah Brynes when she is at the hospital.
The plot explains why these characters are so important. The story is told through the eyes of Eric. He tells us how he and Sarah became such good friends and explains her past. When she was 3 years old, Sarah pulled a pot of boiling spaghetti water off the stove and it burned her face. Her mother left the family after that accident and her father Virgil wouldn't let her get plastic surgery, which adds tension to their relationship. During Eric and Sarah's senior year of high school, Sarah's past comes to haunt her and she is checked into a psychiatric unit in the hospital to get away from her past and father. In the hospital, she refuses to talk to anyone, not even Eric. Eventually, she does begin to talk, but only to Eric because she doesn't want to leave. She tells him huge secrets, secrets that he can't keep. He goes to Mrs. Lemry who helps him decide what to do. They decide on a drastic plan that they put in to work almost immediately. The book twists and turns on from there that you can find out for yourself!
Finally, the third reason the book Staying Fat For Sarah Brynes was enjoyable to me was because of the author's themes. I found more than one message that I thought the author could be sending out to us readers. I think one of the more obvious messages was against discrimination because a very large part of the book is how Sarah and Eric were teased. I also think that when Dale Thornton starts befriending Sarah, it gives the appearance that even when someone who has teased you could become a friend. Another message I found within the book was something like, stick up for yourself and your opinions. An example I found in the book was when Eric was visiting Sarah in the hospital and Eric is explaining what he and Mrs. Lemry decided to do. Sarah starts yelling at him and he says in the book, "I could back down; would have a couple months ago, but I've seen Sarah Byrnes' dad for what he is now, and I've seen what he might do to her, and I'm simply not willingly to let it be anymore. I'm just not." The author could also mean this as don't cave into peer pressure because Eric could have backed down when Sarah started yelling at him. Later in the chapter Sarah gives into him and I think Eric was a little surprised because he was always following her lead and now suddenly, it was the other way around.
The characterization, plot and theme were thoroughly enjoyable in the book Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. I definitely recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a good book. The author, Chris Cutcher gets you very involved in the story. This was a refreshing change from books I have read recently, because these characters are very relatable. Once again, I highly recommend this book!