The Art of Starving
Publisher
HarperTeen
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9780062456717
Pages
372 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Matt hasn’t eaten in days. His stomach stabs and twists inside, pleading for a meal, but Matt won’t give in. The hunger clears his mind, keeps him sharp—and he needs to be as sharp as possible if he’s going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away. Matt’s hardworking mom keeps the kitchen crammed with food, but Matt can resist the siren call of casseroles and cookies because he has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have...powers. The ability to see things he shouldn’t be able to see. The knack of tuning in to thoughts right out of people’s heads. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space. So what is lunch, really, compared to the secrets of the universe? Matt decides to infiltrate Tariq’s life, then use his powers to uncover what happened to Maya. All he needs to do is keep the hunger and longing at bay. No problem. But Matt doesn’t realize there are many kinds of hunger...and he isn’t in control of all of them.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
HL730L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Disability and Health; Single parent; Poverty; Family violence; Gay/Lesbian; Mental illness; Addiction; single mother; financial hardship; domestic abuse; abusive father; gay; gay teenager; eating disorder; teenager with an eating disorder; anorexia; anorexic teenager; alcoholism
Main Character
male teenager
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
single mother
LGBTQ+
gay males
Awards
Andre Norton Award, 2018, Winner
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Young Adult Fiction
James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award, 2017, Long List
Rainbow List, 2018 Young Adult Fiction
NPR's Book Concierge, 2017 Young Adult
Keywords
missing sister; coming of age; starving; hallucinations; New York; food; superpowers; delusions
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Miller, Sam J., "The Art of Starving" (2017). Diverse Families. 1494.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1494