The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Reception

Reception

The reception to the book is varied. One Reviewer noted that the “pacing is excellent and Mackler perfectly conveys the nuances of teen insecurity in all its painfully glory.” However, the same critic also stated, "The author tries to deal with too many issues and ends up giving many of them short shift.” Kirkus reviews, LLC calls the novel "easy read with substance and spirit,” "eminently accessible," and "sexuality, refreshingly, is treated as a good thing." Yet there are still more positive comments such as this book has a “superior plotline” and some “fascinating words.” Gail Richmond of The School Library Journal gave the novel a positive review: "Told through first-person narrative, journal entries, and e-mail, Virginia's story will interest readers who are looking for one more book with teen angst, a bit of romance, and a kid who is a bit like them or their friends." Jennifer M. Brabander of Horn Book Magazine also lauded the novel, saying, "Mackler does a fine job introducing girls to a very cool chick with a little meat on her bones." A Publishers Weekly review says, "The e-mails she exchanges with Shannon, and the lists she makes (e.g., "The Fat Girl Code of Conduct") add both realism and insight to her character. The heroine's transformation into someone who finds her own style and speaks her own mind is believable — and worthy of applause".

The book has also sparked some negative responses, Diane Roback goes so far as to say, "Mackler occasionally uses a heavy hand when it comes to making her points." The she also says, “The date rape story line is . . . gutsy." The book has even undergone criticism to decide whether the book should be banned from schools. Carroll County Maryland superintendent Charles l. Echer banned the novel "because of profane language and sexual content." Mackler’s response to this ordeal is that she “wanted to portray teenagers experiences realistically.” She includes that it "expressed disappointment that the book is being banned in middle schools.”