All of Me

There is something almost kaleidoscopic about this novel in verse, which beautifully layers themes of loss, friendship, acceptance and emotional growth.Ari is a boy unhappy in his own skin. Although he struggles with a cross-country move and his parents’ relationship problems, the main thing that troubles Ari is his weight—there’s too much of it. When he becomes a target, he embarks on a diet, and many changes ensue.Although some of this book is about what Ari hopes to lose, it is also very much about everything he gains, especially his friendships. Ari is lovable (even if he doesn’t know it!) and his story is important and relatable. Highly recommended.

I teach sixth grade. I think will be an important read to many kids. Ari, the main character, feels unsure about himself because he is overweight. Although not all students who read this would be overweight, the awkwardness about oneself is a common shared feeling in kids Ari’s age. I love how Mr. Baron writes and describes things/feelings in the book. Sad but true, some of my students will be able to relate to the scene where Ari infects self-harm. This books touches on a lot of issues pre-teens and teens go through. It’s a good read.

I'll be honest, I don't often read novels-in-verse because the format is somewhat foreign and intimidating to me. But, ALL OF ME by Chris Baron is far from foreign or intimidating. In fact, I was hooked from page one. I quickly connected with Ari, the main character, and saw myself in so much of him and what was going on in his life—struggling with his body image, being the new kid, in a new school, in a new town, parents going through a divorce, a somewhat absent father, an unconventional artist mother just doing her best. In fact, Ari and me even went to the same elementary school for some years, PS6 in NYC. And although I'm not Jewish-American, I connected with his journey of finding himself on the inside and the outside, and trying to make everything connect spiritually and emotionally. There were scenes that were extremely heavy and sad, but there was purpose in them; Baron handled the weighty themes pragmatically and with a sensitive touch that ultimately made the heartbreak a little less painful. Ari's journey is one filled with heartbreak, yet not once did I feel hopeless. I knew he would get there, and get there he did. Without spoiling to much, his ending is satisfying yet wholly realistic. I highly recommend ALL OF ME to MG and adult readers. If I could give it 10 stars, I would!

Ari struggles with his weight. With his family. With preparing for his bar mitzvah. But while Ari struggles, he also triumphs. Succeeds in coming to terms with the imperfections in himself and in the world around him. Ari's journey in ALL OF ME is at once familiar and extraordinary. The kind of novel that is needed by--and will be so valuable to--kids uncomfortable in their own skin for any number of reasons. And, speaking on a personal note, ALL OF ME is the kind of novel that I would have benefitted from when I was a kid as well.Written entirely in verse, Chris Baron's writing glows on every page with the warmth of California in the summer and Ari's kind, genuine self.I'm so very glad this book exists and I know other readers will be too.

I don’t think anything I say can do this book justice. It is honest, raw, revealing, vulnerable. All of Me is such a perfect title as Ari struggles to know who he really is, what he likes about himself, and what he wants to change- all of this is part of him. The scenes with his rabbi were especially beautiful.Most of the story takes place during the pivotal summer between 7th and 8th grade, and includes friends that help to shape Ari’s self-image and self-acceptance. It’s a wonderful book for all kids to read - they may see themselves in Ari, in Ari’s friends, or even his antagonists.

"All of Me" has stopped me in my tracks so many times that it's taken me 3x as long to read as a novel usually would, and what a joy that is."Sometimes the silence of others is better than attention."I've highlighted so many passages, but this one pierced right through my heart that is breaking for Chris Baron's lead character, thirteen-year-old Ari Rosensweig. Baron so lovingly constructs a world of Ari's emotions and thoughts that you slide right into a place of compassion for a boy who is trying to find his place in the world and in his "husky" body, as Ari is so often reminded. This book brought me right back to my own adolescence and struggle to feel accepted and seen for the goodness inside of me, instead of how I looked on the outside. Decades later, I can still relate to Ari feeling uncomfortable in his own skin, but finding pathways to acceptance.This novel in verse is beautifully crafted and poignant, and it's certain to strike a chord with any reading audience. Highly recommended.

I think Ari says it best. This book, like him, is "pond quiet, redwood strong" and "Just me moving forward, finding my own story." Isn't that all of us? A hopeful debut that takes on difficult topics like divorce and self esteem with candor and beauty. Put this one in your beach bag. It's a must-read."Maybe, the rabbi says,it's as simpleas believing thatyou don't have to bewhat others want you to be.You can do the right thingbecause your lifeis already a miracle."

A beautiful, intimate story of self-discovery, the power of friendship, and the daily battles fought in a world that sends us so many messages to not like ourselves. Ari's story is at once a very personal one and a universal one, for after all, who isn't struggling with self-acceptance on some level? I loved all the layered imagery, and the cast of monsters and animals Ari uses as mirrors for himself, always seeking his image in a landscape, a troll, a rock, a yeti, and the many reflections he ponders. Baron skillfully uses verse to make a simple statement land with immense force, and to layer in symbolism while maintaining a brisk momentum to the unfolding action. The feels are big in a book that's about so much more than size.

Loved it. Never thought I'd go for a novel in verse until I read this one. Wow. Just ... wow.Now if I could just get through it without crying. LOL