Fat Chance by Leslea Newman is a book about a thirteen year old girl named Judi Liebowitz who has an extreme problem with her weight. Judi weighs 129 pounds and thinks she is the fattest girl on the planet. “I'm not too sure how to describe myself, but pale and dumpy-looking are two words that come to my mind.”
Judi's teacher gives her class an assignment to write in a journal to keep their most secret thoughts and dreams. Her thoughts and dreams are to lose weight. Judi wants to be the thinnest girl in school and become Mrs. Richard Weiss, where Richard Weiss is only the dreamiest boy in school.



Judi's first idea of trying to lose weight is to starve herself. This plan fails when her mom starts to find her dinner stuffed in the trash every night.



Later on, Judi finds out that her best friend Monica is secretly dating her dream boy. Monica and Judi end up not speaking to each other, which leads Judi to become friends with Nancy Pratt, the most popular and skinniest girl in school.



Judi then finds out Nancy 's secret to becoming skinny -- the disgusting eating disorder called bulimia. Nancy shows Judi how to lose weight her way, and Judi starts to become obsessive about her looks.
This turns into a nightmare when Judi's problem isn't a typical eighth-grade issue; it's a life or death situation.
“If I was thin, dear Diary, none of this would ever have happened.”

Throughout this book there are many ups and downs and continued drama between Judi and her weight problem. I would recommend this book to any young girls who struggle with image and weight problems. I think this book will teach many lessons and change many young girls' lives.