Bones is in a place he knows will be bad for his self-set goal: stay as thin as possible. He has gotten so thin, his parents have sent him to a treatment program for teens with eating disorders, and Bones is freaking out: they force him to eat up to 750 calories a day, and they watch him like a hawk. And to top it off, Bones's roommate is in the program because he is an over-eater, and Bones is disgusted by how much Lard can eat, calculating the calories he takes in while eating contraband cheese doodles. When Bones continues to lose weight, even though they are making him eat, they increase his calories for meals. Now what will he do? He starts to learn tricks from Alice, a ballerina who is so thin it is endangering her health. But Bones doesn't see the trouble she's in and thinks she is beautiful; he takes all of her advice to heart. As the three become friends during their stay at the treatment center, they find strength in each other. Skin and Bones is a rare book about a boy with anorexia; most books focus on the girls with this disorder. Boys are susceptible too, and I am glad this book is out there. I liked the characters and found Bones to be a believable anorexic, calculating calories down to the last tiny one and exercising in his room to burn off every ounce he can. There really need to be more books out there on this topic, and this book is a good start. ( )

There aren’t many books on eating disorders written from a male point of view. The voice of Bones was very strong and you really got a sense of how the disorder affected his life and his way of thinking. The characters were well developed, including, but not limited to Bones’ roommate and eventual friend Lard. There are some sexual references and a single scene where two teenagers are in an elevator. There is no intercourse, but it may give me pause to recommend it to younger tweens/teens. Regardless, I would urge you to add this to your collection. ( )

I wanted to read Skin and Bones because I am drawn to books about teens with issues, especially eating disorders. It impacted my family and reading about it is therapeutic for me. I also haven't read many books from the male perspective of eating disorders and was drawn to that unique element.
While there are differences in how men and women see their bodies, the disease has a lot of overlap in effecting them. There have been events that really made Jack insecure about his body and it started as something that he could control. Unlike in his group, his family is intact and mostly put together, but it is really how he saw himself that was at the root of his problems.
Jack is placed with an overeater nick-named Lard, and at first, Jack thought that they couldn't be any more different. But as they room together, talk and go to group together, they find more in common than they thought and become friends and begin to help each other.
It is so important what they realize and are told it is one moment, one choice at a time that will make a change. Everyone wants overnight cures but it isn't that easy.
I had a feeling I knew where everything was going with Bones and Alice. Bones, of course, I was glad he would see the light and get a better understanding of what healthy is and transform his body image, but I was so afraid of him only getting it after a tragedy with Alice.
I am appreciative that the story didn't end with a completely cured Bones, but one that wanted to change, and was willing to put in the work.

Bottom Line: Good contemp about a teen guy with an eating disorder. ( )