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Changers, Book 3: Kim by T Cooper & Allison Glock-Cooper
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction
Review: Have I mentioned the plot holes?  Yeah, ok.  Moving on.  After all the drama that happened in Book 2, this book was pretty tame.  Yes, Kim has to deal with some fat-shaming and body image issues, but those don't get much emphasis in the story.  Instead, this story seems to be mostly a gap-filler.  Kim learns some things about how the Changer world really works, does a little rebelling, and ultimately comes back home ready to move on to senior year and whatever identity s/he will inhabit then

The authors are clearly trying to build up to a big show-down between the Changer establishment and those who seek to change it (and a proxy show-down between Ethan/Drew/Oryon/Kim and his/her father).  Although there wasn't much substance in this book, I'll be looking for the next book to see how it all plays out, and ultimately which identity s/he chooses.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

all about empowerment

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: YA

Review: Ok, this book is a little pat in some places. Turning your life around is probably not as easy as Carolyn Mackler would make it out to be. That being said, this is a really good book. Virginia (or Ginny) is a believable, sympathetic, likable character. Her problems are real, and her solutions to them are fun, if not entirely realistic. But they work for her, and I, at least, was willing to go along for the ride.

A good read aside, Mackler also deals with some serious issues in the book, including date rape and eating disorders (no, neither apply directly to Ginny). These I thought she dealt with very well, and very realistically, showing that not everything wraps up in a neat package at the end, and not every problem can always be solved.

Overall, this is just a good story about a girl who manages to find ways to empower herself despite not always (or usually) getting a lot of support from her family. But she has help from other people around her and figures out how to be herself, and, more importantly, how to be comfortable being herself.