Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Holding up the universe by Jennifer Niven

Once known as “America’s fattest teen,” Libby Stout had to have a hole cut in the side of her house so she could leave. That was three years ago. Libby has worked hard and lost a tremendous amount of weight. She is headed back to school with a new, take-no-prisoners attitude. When the popular life-of-the-party student named Jack tries to ride Libby in a game called Fat Girl Rodeo, Libby punches Jack in the mouth and refuses to be bullied.

Jack is a popular student with a secret. He has facial blindness - meaning he can’t recognize anyone by their face. Instead, he has to piece together who someone is based on what they say, what they’re wearing, or other context clues. In one terrifying incident he tries to take the wrong boy from a birthday party when picking up his little brother.

Jack and Libby have little in common, but somehow they understand each other. Libby figures out Jack’s facial blindness, Jack understands Libby’s desire for people simply to see her for who she is as a person rather than the fat girl she used to be.

The narration alternates between Jack and Libby, so we see each character’s internal struggles. This story of acceptance and strength is by the same author who gave us All The Bright Places, and is on the Missouri Gateway Reader’s Award list for 2018-19.