Second Star to the Right »

The landmark novel about anorexia nervosa -- now with an autobiographical afterword by the author

Leslie Hiller is a bright, attractive, talented teenager who leads a privileged life in New York City. She is also a perfectionist. When Leslie starts to diet, she finds herself becoming obsessed, getting thinner and thinner, until she is forced to realize that her quest for perfection is killing her.

First published in 1981, this groundbreaking novel has been lauded by countless librarians, educators, and teenaged readers. This new edition features an afterword by the author in which she discusses her own struggle with the disease, the difficult road toward recovery, and the lasting effects on her life.

"The best book yet on anorexia nervosa. And the only one in which what's compelling is not the heroine's physical condition, it's the heroine herself." School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a powerful book -- one in which there are no villains -- about a family whose members are beset by a problem they are struggling to understand." Baltimore Sun

Publishers Weekly

For Leslie, wanting to shed a few pounds leads to self-destructive behavior, in one of the most harrowing stories yet on anorexia nervosa. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)