In Friend's second young-adult novel, Lush, Samantha and her family are hiding her father's alcoholism from the world. ‘Friend combines believable characters and real-life situations into a fine novel,’ Denise Moore concluded in School Library Journal, and a Kirkus Reviews contributor deemed the book ‘clearly and simply written with a nice balance of humor and drama.’ Noting the prevalence of eating disorders among teens, Claire Rosser wrote in Kliatt that Perfect ‘addresses the fact that eating disorders are plaguing ever-younger adolescent girls.’ Through her careful attention to Isabelle's voice, ‘Friend elevates what could have been just another problem novel to a truly worthwhile read,’ Debbie Carton concluded in Booklist. The ‘graphic binging and purging scenes’ in Perfect ‘help explain the disease to readers without seeming didactic,’ wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Hofmann in a School Library Journal review of Perfect. ‘Friend knows middle school kids and delivers beautifully,’ wrote Mary R. When Isabelle meets Ashley, a popular girl who also has an eating disorder, the two quickly become friends, and Isabelle learns that her new friend may not be as ‘perfect’ as she seems.

‘I went on my first diet at the age of eleven.’ Isabelle's bulimia is less caused by athletics than by grief her father died several years before and she is unable to cope except by binging on food and then throwing up. ‘As a former competitive gymnast I was introduced to the concept of dieting and weight control at an early age,’ Friend explained on her home page while discussing the inspiration for her story. Her first book, Perfect, focuses on thirteen-year-old Isabelle and the young teen's battle with bulimia. Natasha Friend worked as a teacher before she got her start writing novels for young adults. Lush, Milkweed Editions (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.īounce, Scholastic ( New York, NY), 2007.Ĭontributor to periodicals, including Family Fun, and to anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul. Perfect, Milkweed Editions (Minneapolis, MN), 2004. Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature, and Golden Sower Award, both for Perfect Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers citation, American Library Association, for Lush.

Brimmer and May Summer Camp, Chestnut Hill, MA, former director. Former teacher at Brearley School, New York, NY, and École Bilingue, Cambridge, MA. Education: Bates College, B.A., 1994 Clemson University, M.A. Born April 28, 1972, in Norwich, NY married husband's name Erik children: Jack, Ben.

Perfect by Natasha Friend