Thinandbeautiful.com - Tapa blanda

"Realistic in detailing how an individual can travel from wanting to lose a few pounds to becoming quite ill...By the end of the novel, the reader is left with a feeling of hope...Good for teenagers who are trying to recover from an eating disorder, who have had a friend with an eating disorder or who are looking for an interesting story about a common teen issue."-- (10/01/2009)

"Particularly informative and inspirational for teens dealing with low self-esteem and eating disorders. This book would be an excellent addition to a young adult fiction collection. Recommended."-- (03/01/2010)

"Shaw, who has battled anorexia herself, spins Maddie's treatment--as she progresses from delusions to tough realizations--into an absorbing psychological drama...Through clear and unflinching storytelling, Shaw takes her readers deep into the labyrinthine psyche of a young girl battling an eating disorder."--Quill & Quire (09/01/2009)

"A book aimed at young adults with a positive message, thinandbeautiful.com will hopefully get through the heads of troubled young women."

--Midwest Book Review (10/01/2009)

"A brave book that succeeds in both being a compelling read and a great tool to spark a dialogue among teens around beauty, media pressure and the effects it has on us all."--Resource Links (10/01/2009)

Seventeen-year-old Maddy has always felt a hole in her life, but she has finally found a way to fill it with her quest to mold her body into her ideal, thinnest shape. When she comes across the world of "pro-ana" websites, where young people encourage each other in their mission to lose ever more weight, she realizes she is no longer alone. Finally, she has found a place where she is understood. Maddy quickly becomes addicted to the support and camaraderie she finds on thinandbeautiful.com. Now in a rehab facility where they are trying to "fix" a problem she doesn't think she has, Maddy's diary entries trace how she arrived at this point. Angry that she is barred from accessing her online friends, only the tragic consequences that come to one of her comrades in arms is enough to shock her into admitting that she does need help.

Liane Shaw has worked in education for twenty-five years, with much of that time spent as a teacher of students who face academic, behavioral, physical or emotional challenges. Her own battle with anorexia inspired her to write this story.