LitPick Review
The Little Pink Book by Zahra Jons is an engrossing read about the troubles girls face during high school. It follows the main character Amelia (or Melle, as her friends call her) through her high school. In Amelia's school, there is a group of five girls called "THE FIVE". These girls are seemingly perfect in every way; their skin is flawless, hair is silky, and none of them seem to ever gain weight. One day at school, Amelia stumbles upon one of THE FIVE's diaries. But this isn't a regular diary; no, it's a magic diary. Throughout the book, Amelia struggles against the power of this journal. It starts to take over her life and even damages her relationships with close friends. The Little Pink Book touches on topics of friendship, popularity, and eating disorders.
Opinion:
The Little Pink Book is an entertaining read, which teaches multiple valuable lessons. First, it teaches about the importance of good friends. Amelia's two best friends, Casey and Samantha, are perfect examples of good friends. They give Amelia good advice even when she doesn't want to hear it. When Amelia pushes them away, they continue to be there to support her. Although Amelia's struggles with her personal issues make her a bad friend, the others don't leave her. Second, this book touches heavily on food, weight, and eating disorders. Although there was an uplifting message at the end, some points throughout the book were problematic. Skinniness was valued above all else in the book even through the conclusion. All the female characters in The Little Pink Book are concerned with losing weight, and Amelia takes extreme measures. These measures almost land her in the hospital. Unfortunately, this topic could have been addressed better. Some people cannot help how much they weigh, and weight is not a determining factor in your value as a person. Finally, the book talks about the importance of involving adults in your life. Amelia hides a lot from her parents, which comes back to bite her. Multiple people in Amelia's family get hurt, which teaches her a lesson about being open and honest. This book would be a good read for upcoming high schoolers, as long as they are cautioned about the heavy topics of weight loss before reading.
