Dumplin', Julie Murphy

Willowdean Dickson is a Dolly Parton fan, a self described fat girl, and a resident of a small town where the event of the year is a beauty pageant. Willowdean's mother is a former winner and now basically runs the pageant. Will does her best to ignore it, preferring to spend her time with her best friend, Ellen, and at her after school job where she has a crush on a coworker. After experiencing her first heartbreak and standing up to the school bully, Will decides to go for broke and enter the pageant.

Willowdean is a character to root for. She is a very real girl who finds herself an unexpected superhero for the misfits of her town. Her story is one of family, friendship, love, and self discovery that will appeal to many readers. Check out Dumplin' this summer and enjoy it with a big glass of sweet tea (Willowdean is a Southern girl after all). Don't forget to sign up for the Teen Summer Reading Program so you can earn prizes for reading!