Walking a Thin Line

by Sylvia McNicoll

Lauren knows if she loses twenty pounds Jay will finally notice her. And it can't be that hard, can it? Andrea lost ten pounds in less than a month. But Andrea's starting to act weird. Today she even fainted in class. Lauren's worried. Andrea says she's dying to be thin - but just how far will she go?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Born in Ajax, Sylvia McNicoll (pseudonym Genna Dare ) grew up in Montreal, Quebec where she received her BA in English with a minor in Economics from Concordia University. She began her writing career with adult short stories and household tips that were published in women's magazines, and moved on to freelance articles for Burlington local newspapers. Her friend and published author, Gisela Sherman, convinced her to take a children's writing course by Paul Kropp at Sheridan College. It was under his guidance that she wrote her first book "Blueberries and Whipped Cream" as a class project. Nine published books later she returned to Sheridan College to teach creative writing for a decade. She also edited "Today's Parent Toronto" for eight years.
Among her award winning published works are:

Project disaster, illustrated by Brian Boyd (Scholastic Canada, 1990) – Winner of Our Choice, 1990-91

The big race! Illustrated by Susan Gardos (Scholastic Canada, 1996) – winner of Our Choice, 1996-97

Jump Start, illustrated by Janet Wilson (Collier Macmillan Canada, 1989) – winner of Our Choice, 1989-90

Bringing Up Beauty (Maxwell Macmillan Canada, 1994) – winner of Our choice, 1995-96; Silver Birch Award, 1996; Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award, 1997

Caught in a Lie (Scholastic Canada, 2000) – winner of Explora-Toy award, 2001

Reviews

[Gr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at the used bookstore. Thought I'd give it a try. I found the book boring at times but I have to say, it was fun comparing the stigma around mental illness and lack of information available on eating disorders back then to now. Can't really say we've come a long way.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because I picked it up at a library sale but I’m 95% sure I’ve actually read this once before.

It’s the story of Lauren and her friend Andrea who both feel too fat and want to lose weight. Only Andrea takes it too far. It’s the story of Anorexia and a teen girl’s pressure to be thin. It’s told very well and I think it would be the perfect book to read along with your teen and discuss. I think if more parents discussed this book with their teens, we might make teens more aware of anorexia and the warning signs.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to all teen girls ages 12 and up.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Walking a Thin Line was read purely so I could finally convince my brain to exorcise and unhaul this book from my shelves and my life.

I actually read this book before, in the early 2000s, I think mostly for kicks and boredom as I was already well outside of the target audience of middle-schoolers this was intended for and the lessons taught were showing its age even then. It underwhelmed me that first time, so I have no idea why I held onto it in the two decades since. Not even my Baby-sitters Club survived, and I enjoyed those far more than this book in a nostalgic sense.

So why didn't I just chuck it without re-reading it? I make a lot of excuses when it comes to purging unread or unreviewed books I physically and even digitally possess. I just don't have the stomach to do it, so ultimately I got off the damn pot and got on with reading it. That it was short and small made it one of the less daunting options on my physical TBR shelf as well.

But now that it is done with comes the real conundrum, and that is the nature in which I ought to unhaul this book.

Normally I stick books in a Little Free Library box around my home for someone else to perhaps enjoy. But there's a real argument to just chuck this one into the recycling bin instead.

In the age of Ozempic, a weight-loss drug that legitimately put Weight Watchers, a key inspiration and oft referred resource in this book, into bankruptcy, this book is horrendously outdated in its approach to ostensibly "safe" weight loss. Add in shopping channel advertising and a distinct lack of social media and I feel the message of this book is past its expiry date and is useless for modern day middle-schoolers and the challenges they face when it comes to their self image.

However, it does have a fairly respectful depiction of a young teen's descent into anorexia; how she got there, what she says to justify it and how it impacts the people around her. That isn't to say it is a universal depiction, everyone's road is different, but at least it doesn't glamourize the effect it has on her and the damage it wrecks on her and her family and friends.

There is value in the harsh framing of eating disorders on young girls in an age when too much of that stuff is dangerously celebrated online by too many, fuelling today's mental health epidemic among children and an overconsumption of cosmetic or superficial symbols of health and wealth.

So where does this go from here? The question is whether this book will cause more harm than good by letting it be read by a young reader out in the wild, whether they would misunderstand the message due to its outdated references that make central chunks of this book irrelevant.

Or is there's value in keeping a book showcasing how we addressed these issues and thoughts before social media became ubiquitous. Are not books a record of a snapshot in time, even if fiction? Even Twilight shows its age with its references, or lack thereof.

I guess the main difference is the challenge the protagonist faces in Twilight is not made irrelevant by modern advancements and technology.

[Shekinah Dobony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great message, not-so-great writing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was a preteen and still have it in the book shelf. It's one of those books that has always stayed with it. I find it isn't the typical eating disorders type book. The main character is overweight and tries to lose weight, however she does it in a healthy way, and in the end seems generally happy with herself but the plot also follows her friend who develops anorexia and shows the impact of it on an outsider.

Being an overweight teenager, this book helped with some advice for healthy weightloss, even if at that age you are more inclined to go the unhealthy route.

[Mc Chanster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the novel, but it is by far my favorite. It seems that the entire cast of the novel were skinny, or trying to lose weight. When one of them takes it too far, will others realize her mistake? I know, it sounds almost like an after school special, but it does present a serious issue in a way that some students may understand. I was actually more surprised that this novel was published in 1993 and this disorder was already a problem. Good read.

[Lynda Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating story of body image and the destructive ways in which girls and women view themselves.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sooo good. A great story told.

[Samaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good coming of age story! Teaching lessons about confidence and self worth, battles and pressures that pre teens feel as they struggle to fit in.

[Venice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just didn't like the main character. That was my biggest problem.