If there is any kind of secret to becoming beautiful and self-confident, then Colie Sparks from Keeping the Moon would like to know it. When her mother becomes “Kiki Sparks,” the famous aerobics instructor, Colie begins to long for the days before it all began.

However, when her mother leaves for a sales tour in Europe, 15-year-old Colie gets dumped for the summer with her eccentric aunt who is as overweight as Colie and her mother once were. Her aunt remains completely unaware of what the people in town say about her behind her back. She has unusual habits and wears the strangest clothes Colie has ever seen.

Colie is not exactly the ideal acquaintance herself. She has a lip ring and an in-your-face attitude to match. New friends and a new job lead Colie to look at herself with new eyes. She also meets an artist who could possible become more than just a friend.

Sarah Dessen captures and maintains the reader’s attention throughout the entire story. Keeping the Moon has an interesting view of the life of a high school girl who goes unnoticed by popular cliques – unless it is for ridicule. Dessen has created a wonderful story of self-confidence, the longing for acceptance, and the pains and rewards of growing up.