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Title: Jelly Belly
ISBN: 0440442079
Author:
Robert Kimmel Smith
Publicate Date: 1982-04-15
Publish: 1982-04-15
List Price: $5.50
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.05
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $5.50
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| Customer Review: |
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1: The best book ever
i have read this book dozens of times and still not tired of it i dunno it is the greatest book ever its funny its just really good Robert Kimmel Smith did a really good job writing this book such a great book it has the charctar Ned who goes to this fat camp(camp lean too) and meets some other freinds(richard etc.) and they find ways to get candy and other snacks and his grandma doesnt care if hes fat and encourages him to eat what he wants will ned get caught stealing candy will he lose the weight read the book for yourself and hey a sweet deal of 5 bucks im sold! GREAT BOOK
1000000% JOB ROBERT KIMMEL SMITH!!!
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2: Disturbing attitudes about weight
I read this book as an overweight kid, and looking back, I can't believe that I thought it carried positive messages. The main character's (Ned's) family eats as much as they want, but deny their son the same food during family dinners. Ned gets sent away from his friends (apparently because he's a fat kid) to an fat camp where he learns nothing about health, and his overweight bunkmates are horrible, theiving, binging stereotypes.
The storyline about bribing Ned with a family trip to Disneyland to lose weight is a great setup for failure and sibling rivalry. And a growing 11-year-old taking up a jogging habit to lose weight? Get real! Frankly, I'm amazed that Ned doesn't develop a rampant eating disorder in this story.
If the author had been interested in a story about improvement in a bullied kid's physical and mental health, he would have been focused on more realistic and supportive methods involving unconditional love and support from Ned's family and school. But this story is hugely focused on pressure to lower the number on the scale, and only when those scale numbers get down (by whatever means necessary) does Ned's life get better.
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3: Jelly Belly Rocks!!!
This is a comedy book about a kid named Ned that is overweight. Being the biggest kid in the 5th grade he wants to loose weight. His parents send him to a camp to gain self confidence,make friends, and of course loose weight. Ned enjoys the camp, but how will he loose weight with his Grandma always feeding him junk food. This book is hilarious! If you want to laugh your but off and have a whole new concept for the term jelly belly, then you have to read this book. The best things about this book are all the jokes, and the sense of realism.If you love funny books, than get this one.
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4: Reflections from a first generation reader
I was about the same age as the fictional Ned when this book first came out in the 1980's. And, like Ned, I also battled my weight. I thoroughly enjoyed the book then, and I would highly recommend it now. Robert Kimmel Smith takes on the complex problem of weight management and presents it in a humorous and age-appropriate manner, without being preachy or simplistic. Although some readers complained that the writing style was "dated," the material is even more relevant today since the problem of childhood obesity has gotten worse, not better, over the last twenty years.
Ned is eleven-years-old and has a loving family, great friends, an active school life...and an extra thirty pounds hanging off his slight frame. That excess weight has become the main focus in Ned's life, as he tries to reconcile all the conflicting messages from everyone around him: his parents, who want to help him knock off the pounds and be healthy; his grandma, who equates love with feeding her family yummy homemade treats; his schoolmates, who taunt him with cries of "Jelly Belly!"; and his newfound friends at summer camp who are resentful of being sent to diet camp and rebel by concocting schemes to sneak in contraband goodies.
The bulk of the story takes place at Camp Lean-Too, a summer diet camp where the goal is to lose weight and also gain a new healthy lifestyle. To give Ned a jump start on losing weight, his parents decide to send him to Camp Lean-Too, instead of the summer camp Ned normally goes to with his friends. Ned arrives at Camp Lean-Too angry and depressed, missing his old camp. Almost immediately he befriends three of his new bunkmates--Richard, Darrell ("Hog"), and Max. Richard and Hog are veteran campers with good reason: they detest the system and do everything possible to circumvent it. Throughout his entire stay at Camp Lean-Too, Ned is torn between his cravings for sweets and other forbidden foods, his desire to be liked and accepted by his new crowd, and his genuine deep-down burning desire to actually lose the weight. Almost symbolically, Ned's weight yo-yo's over the course of the book. Smith hits the situation dead-on, as Ned struggles with numerous tough decisions, all of which have real positive and negative consequences that occur simultaneously.
As a last-ditch effort to entice Ned to lose weight, Ned's father promises him a trip to Disney World IF he can lose a certain amount of weight within a set time frame. Will Ned lose the weight? Will he get to go to Disney World? Or will the lure of delicious, fatty food be too much? I won't tell; you'll just have to read! I will say this: along the way, Ned learns some valuable lessons and gains a new understanding of himself and others...something that continually eludes other characters in the book.
As a side note, some reviewers complained about the use of certain off-color words. Without condoning cursing, in junior high, we were saying those and much worse. Even in 1986. Before you condemn the book for that alone, look at the whole picture and talk to your kids about cursing and why it is unacceptable. Other than that, all in all, highly recommended reading.
So grab a diet soda and some sugar-free, nonfat chocolate pudding, sit back and enjoy!
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5: Tony's revew
Nathaniel is an 11 year old kid, but his parents named him Ned. Ned lives in a blue house. Ned weighs 114 pounds. Ned is overweight, thus the title. Ned went to camp Lean-Too, because his parents made him go. Ned lost 14 pounds. Ned hated the food at camp. Ned got out of camp; his dad said if you lose 25 more pounds, we will go to Disney World. Will Ned go to Disney World? I recommend this book to all readers. This book is hilarious.
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