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Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Author Crystal Maldonado
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Hardcover
$18.99 US
Holiday House
5.7"W x 8.51"H x 1.15"D   | 15 oz | 32 per carton
On sale Feb 02, 2021 | 352 Pages | 9780823447176
Age 14 and up | Grade 9 & Up
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell Z+
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Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.

A NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD WINNER!

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there's one person who's always in Charlie's corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing--he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?

Because it's time people did.

A sensitive, funny, and painfully honest coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

An NPR Best Book of the Year!
Named to the TAYSHAS Reading List
A POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel!
A Cosmopolitan Best New Book!
A Bustle Most Anticipated Debut!
  • SELECTION | 2023
    TAYSHAS Reading List
A New England Book Award Winner
An NPR Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best New Young Adult Novel
A Cosmopolitan Best New Book
A Bustle Most Anticipated Debut
A Forbes Most Notable Young Adult Book
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee
A Latinxs in Publishing Best Books of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A Business Insider Best Young Adult Romance Book
 
★ "Charlie's struggles are authentic and raw while Maldonado's bright prose makes for a page-turner. . . . An overdue and welcome ingénue."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
"Charlie's emotional arc hits all the right notes, resulting in a warm and insightful coming-of-age tale."—Publishers Weekly

"Perfection. . . . A romance that warms your entire body like a cup of hot chocolate."—The Nerd Daily

"Sweet and sincere, Charlie Vega's journey is a delight."—School Library Journal
 
"With a memorable cast that brings fresh faces and voices to a typically homogenous genre, this title focuses on the positives of the often difficult and confusing high-school experience: genuine friendships and allies, powerful first crushes, and discovering oneself. . . . Charlie's optimistic outlook, despite the challenges that come with her identity, will attract a widespread audience of romance lovers and expand their idea of what a romantic lead can look like."—Booklist
 
"We're so excited to get our hands on it."—BuzzFeed
 
"Readers will appreciate Charlie from the get-go and rejoice when she herself begins to see the Charlie-celebrating light."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 
"Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is an utterly heartwarming story of love—of friends, of family, of romance and, most importantly, of oneself."—Shelf Awareness
 
"Issues of body positivity and racial and gender identity are dealt with in a light, positive, and totally engrossing manner. This novel is perfect for fans of Julie Murphy's Dumplin' and for any reader who struggles with feeling like they are 'not enough.'"—School Library Connection

"Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is an accomplished debut, and its nuanced depictions of first love, a complex mother-daughter relationship, and fat acceptance make it stand out."—BookPage
 
"Fun and refreshing. . . . A heartfelt debut."—Barnes and Noble

"A must-read for teens."—Common Sense Media
 
"This book feels like your best friend giving you a hug—it's warm and sweet and healing."—Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best
 
"A sweet and cheerful debut, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega moves with rom-com energy and a whole lot of awkward, goofy, chubby-girl-with-a-crush-on-a-boy vibes."—Gabby Rivera, author of Juliet Takes a Breath and Marvel's America
Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her debut novel, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, is a New England Book Award winner, a Cosmopolitan Best New Book, and a POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel. Her next novel, No Filter and Other Lies, explores teenage life in the social media age—and the lies we tell to ourselves and others. By day, Crystal works in higher ed marketing, and by night, is a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, spending too much time on her phone, and being extra. Her work has also been published in Latina, BuzzFeed, and the Hartford Courant. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. Find her everywhere @crystalwrote or CrystalWrote.com.
Crystal Maldonado View titles by Crystal Maldonado

About

Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.

A NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD WINNER!

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there's one person who's always in Charlie's corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing--he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?

Because it's time people did.

A sensitive, funny, and painfully honest coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

An NPR Best Book of the Year!
Named to the TAYSHAS Reading List
A POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel!
A Cosmopolitan Best New Book!
A Bustle Most Anticipated Debut!

Awards

  • SELECTION | 2023
    TAYSHAS Reading List

Praise

A New England Book Award Winner
An NPR Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best New Young Adult Novel
A Cosmopolitan Best New Book
A Bustle Most Anticipated Debut
A Forbes Most Notable Young Adult Book
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee
A Latinxs in Publishing Best Books of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A Business Insider Best Young Adult Romance Book
 
★ "Charlie's struggles are authentic and raw while Maldonado's bright prose makes for a page-turner. . . . An overdue and welcome ingénue."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
"Charlie's emotional arc hits all the right notes, resulting in a warm and insightful coming-of-age tale."—Publishers Weekly

"Perfection. . . . A romance that warms your entire body like a cup of hot chocolate."—The Nerd Daily

"Sweet and sincere, Charlie Vega's journey is a delight."—School Library Journal
 
"With a memorable cast that brings fresh faces and voices to a typically homogenous genre, this title focuses on the positives of the often difficult and confusing high-school experience: genuine friendships and allies, powerful first crushes, and discovering oneself. . . . Charlie's optimistic outlook, despite the challenges that come with her identity, will attract a widespread audience of romance lovers and expand their idea of what a romantic lead can look like."—Booklist
 
"We're so excited to get our hands on it."—BuzzFeed
 
"Readers will appreciate Charlie from the get-go and rejoice when she herself begins to see the Charlie-celebrating light."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 
"Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is an utterly heartwarming story of love—of friends, of family, of romance and, most importantly, of oneself."—Shelf Awareness
 
"Issues of body positivity and racial and gender identity are dealt with in a light, positive, and totally engrossing manner. This novel is perfect for fans of Julie Murphy's Dumplin' and for any reader who struggles with feeling like they are 'not enough.'"—School Library Connection

"Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is an accomplished debut, and its nuanced depictions of first love, a complex mother-daughter relationship, and fat acceptance make it stand out."—BookPage
 
"Fun and refreshing. . . . A heartfelt debut."—Barnes and Noble

"A must-read for teens."—Common Sense Media
 
"This book feels like your best friend giving you a hug—it's warm and sweet and healing."—Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best
 
"A sweet and cheerful debut, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega moves with rom-com energy and a whole lot of awkward, goofy, chubby-girl-with-a-crush-on-a-boy vibes."—Gabby Rivera, author of Juliet Takes a Breath and Marvel's America

Author

Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her debut novel, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, is a New England Book Award winner, a Cosmopolitan Best New Book, and a POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel. Her next novel, No Filter and Other Lies, explores teenage life in the social media age—and the lies we tell to ourselves and others. By day, Crystal works in higher ed marketing, and by night, is a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, spending too much time on her phone, and being extra. Her work has also been published in Latina, BuzzFeed, and the Hartford Courant. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. Find her everywhere @crystalwrote or CrystalWrote.com.
Crystal Maldonado View titles by Crystal Maldonado

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