It’s February, the month of love! Instead of your typical teenage romance reads though, let’s focus on loving ourselves.
All bodies are great bodies! They get us where we need to go, whether it’s on two legs or in a wheelchair. They let us interact with our fellow humans, where we can love, laugh and enjoy each other’s company, so let’s have a round of applause for the skeletal and muscular systems.
Below is a list of books where characters learn to like, or even love the bodies they’re in.
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Leah’s drumming may be rhythmic, but her life is a little more offbeat. She’s got a lot on her plate—a fracturing friend group, coming out as bisexual, art anxiety, prom and applying to colleges.
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My Ideal Boyfriend Is A Croissant by Laura Dockrill
Following a near-fatal asthma attack, 16-year-old BB, who is happy with being big, reluctantly agrees to keep a food diary but finds it teaches her a lot about herself.
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How We Roll by Natasha Friend
After developing alopecia, Quinn lost her friends along with her hair and former football player Jake lost his legs and confidence after an accident, but the two help each other believe in themselves and the possibility of love.
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The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger
17-year-old Bianca Piper starts sleeping with Wesley Rush, a notorious womanizer who disgusts her, in order to distract her from her personal problems, and to her surprise, the two of them find they have a lot in common and are able to help each other find more productive ways to deal with their difficulties.
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Puddin’ by Julie Murphy
When circumstances put Millie Michalchuk and Callie Reyes together over the course of a semester, the girls realize they have more in common than they ever imagined.