She is a now a professor and university administrator at Colorado State University. The positive response to Skinny surprised Cooner, who wrote the book as a way to capture some of her own experiences with self-doubt.Ĭooner currently living in Fort Collins, Colorado. After publishing over 20 children’s books, Cooner stepped away from creative writing and moved into nonfiction, writing books and articles focused on research and education.įollowing several years of nonfiction writing, Cooner returned to the creative world in 2012 with her debut young adult novel, Skinny, a book about a high school girl who struggles with her weight and finds solace in singing. She was launched into the world of children’s books after writing for the PBS television show Barney and Friends and the series’ spin-off books. Reading aloud to her classes, Cooner quickly saw the impact of books on her kindergarten and third grade students. CareerĬooner’s career as a writer began during her time as a teacher. She is a three time graduate of Texas A&M University, earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, her master’s degree in reading literacy, and her doctorate in educational administration. She graduated from Brazoswood High School in 1977. Her book, Snappy Social Networking, is available now! You can contact Summer for reviews or writing on her blog.Donna Cooner was born and raised in Texas. She’s also a published novelist, publicist, book reviewer and cat lover. Summer Lane is a freelance writer with thousands of published articles on a variety of topics. I recommend it for all teenage girls who have ever struggled with self-image. We are all beautiful, and this is the lesson that Ever learns quite touchingly in Donna Cooner’s debut novel. As she gets smaller, she gains more friends, and it will soon become obvious that some people are in it for appearances or entertainment alone, while others are along for life, regardless of her appearance. Then, I read the back cover, and the first paragraph really caught my. What girl has never experienced an amount of self-inflicted misery over her appearance? For Ever, her self-image is a big problem because it is not just an imagined defect…it is an actual health issue.?Īs the pounds come off after her gastric bypass surgery, her confidence in herself grows, but she is still held back by the voice in her head, ‘Skinny.’ Skinny is nothing more than an extension of herself…the self-critical part. When I first saw the book Skinny, by Donna Cooner, I automatically inferred that it would be about an insecure teenage girl.

Only she happens to be stuck in a 302 pound body. Ever is basically a 15-year-old girl: insecure, self-loathing, and unbelievable shy.

This is one of those rare books that really gives you a sense of reality, of believability in the story. But after Ever decides to get gastric bypass surgery, she must learn who her true friends are…and who is just coming into her life because she’s losing weight.

An insidious voice in her head constantly puts her down, isolates her from other people, and makes her believe that she is worthless.

Skinny by Donna Cooner