Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes — Chris Crutcher

What do you get when you throw together one of the ugliest human beings outside a circus and the fattest boy in high school? Two kids with the "terminal uglies" who are inseparable best friends.

When smart, sarcastic Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her face and hands were badly burned in a mysterious accident, and her father wouldn't allow her to have reconstructive surgery. High school senior Eric "Moby" Calhoune passed through his early years on a steady diet of Oreos and Twinkles, and he sports the girth to prove it. His father left before he was born.

When Eric turns out for the high school swim team, he begins to shed layers of extra poundage and fears he might lose the one friendship he treasures.

Then the truth of Sarah Byrnes's horrific past finally catches up with her, and she stops speaking. It is Eric's mission to help her find a way through the pain. But uncovering the truth is a dangerous thing to do -- when someone else doesn't want it uncovered.