''Dumplin is a 2015 young adult novel and the second book by the American author Julie Murphy. It was first published in hardback in the United States on September 15, 2015 through

Balzer + Bray HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Co ...

. An audiobook adaptation, narrated by

Eileen Stevens Eileen Frances Stevens (born January 7, 1982) is an American actress based in New York City, having done voice work for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video and NYAV Post. Stevens' first major role in an anime series was Belldandy in ''Ah! ...

, was released through

Harper Audio HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...

. The book focuses on Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson, a plus-size teenager who finds love, but also realizes that she is more insecure about herself than she initially thought.

Synopsis

Willowdean, nicknamed "Dumplin’" by her mother and called "Will" by her friends, is a plus-size teenager who has always felt comfortable with her body and herself. She doesn't care that her mother was a teen

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

or that people have poked fun at her weight. However, all of these changes when she meets Bo, a handsome teenage boy her age that has expressed interest in dating her. Suddenly Will is full of insecurities and can't bring herself to date him out of fear of what others would think and say. In order to prove to her self-worth, Will has decided to enter and win the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant. But, as the date of the pageant approaches, Will finds that it's not that easy to take part in a pageant — especially after her best friend Ellen decides to enter.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Dumplin' ''has been positive.

Commonsensemedia Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

and ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' both gave ''Dumplin favorable reviews and both praised Murphy for writing about and through the lens of a plus size teen, "who is struggling with her weight only in terms of accepting it". The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' also wrote a favorable review, noting that, "If the book's ending is a little too

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

optimistic, it's understandable — Willowdean deserves no less."

Adaptation

The movie adaptation stars

Danielle Macdonald Danielle Louise Macdonald (born 19 May 1991) is an Australian actress, known for her lead roles as Patricia "Patti" Dombrowski in the drama film ''Patti Cake$'' (2017), and Willowdean Dickson in '' Dumplin (2018). She is also known for her r ...

as Willowdean and

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

as her mother, Rosie Dickson. The film was written by

Kristin Hahn Kristin Hahn (born 1969) is an American film and television producer, writer and director. Hahn is the founder and president of production company, Hahnscape Entertainment, and the co-founder of production company Echo Films, alongside Jennifer ...

and directed by

Anne Fletcher Anne Fletcher (born May 1, 1966) is an American choreographer, film director, dancer and actress. She directed the films '' Step Up'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008) and ''The Proposal (2009 film), The Proposal'' (2009). Early life Born Anne Marie ...

References

External links

* {{official website, http://juliemurphywrites.com/dumplin/
Author Julie Murphy Talks About Fat, Cake, and Her New Novel 'Dumplin''
at XO Jane 2015 American novels American novels adapted into films American young adult novels Beauty pageants in fiction Balzer + Bray books