1. Some reviewers have said that the characters in Fat are improbable or undergo unrealistic transformations.

Do you agree? What in the characters makes them believable or unbelievable?

2. Do some research on people with weight problems like overeating, anorexia, or bulimia. Do you see any common threads among these problems?

3. Interview a range of people about their weight. How do people of different sizes and weights feel about their bodies and their place in society?

4. Read about Cyrano de Bergerac and compare his story with Fat. What parallels do you see in the romances?

5. The relationship between Rita and Arnold becomes a whirlwind in the final chapters of Fat. Write your own sequel to Fat, showing what happens as Rita and Arnold get older. Then read Love Is the Crooked Thing, Wersba's own sequel. Is the relationship between Rita and Arnold...