Gravity Journal

A 2011 Stellar Award nominee

A 2009 White Pine Honour Book

A 2009 Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Book for Kids & Teens selection

Gold winner of the 2009 Moonbeam Award Young Adult Fiction, Mature Issues

"Gravity Journal by Gail Sidonie Sobat is a gritty novel for middle teen readers, the story of anorexic sixteen-year-old Anise…. The author has managed to insert a considerable amount of factual information into the story, and anyone suffering from problems similar to Anise, or anyone who knows someone with such problems, might learn a lot. It is not a cheerful novel but through all the darkness, there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel." - Prairie Fire Magazine

"[Anise’s] journal entries add depth and reflection to the narrative. Some of the poems are so incisive that I found myself flipping back and reading them again and again….Sobat has created a tight and simple masterpiece. It is obvious that she has done her research about eating disorders yet she doesn't preach or pander. She lets the story unfold to its own simple conclusion in a surprisingly satisfying way. The story itself provides the reader with tools to deal with their own problems. Additionally, there are resources listed in the back. This isn't a self-help book; it's a damned good novel.” - CM Magazine

"Mind-blowing new Canadian fiction….a dark yet funny, disheartening yet hopeful novel. If Girl, Interrupted had a teenage sister, Sobat’s Gravity Journal would be it." - South Delta Leader

"Gravity Journal is one of those books you can’t put down….I simply loved it." - Grip Magazine

"A well-written book of illness and recovery where we discover that both are ultimately to do with the human spirit rather than the human body." - Canadian Authors Association Exporting Alberta Award

"Gravity Journal disguises its intellect and its powers of social observation in a cloak of accessible language… [and] the authentic flavour of Anise’s… poetry." - Nicolas Tam, Nick’s Café Canadien

"Gravity Journal pulls you into laughter and pushes you to tears." - What If? Magazine

"This highly compelling novel will grab the attention of readers from the very first page….Written in a variety of forms ranging from poetry to lists, the entries [in Gravity Journal] are heartbreaking, brutally honest, and a glimpse into this character’s soul." - Canadian Children’s Book News

"[Sobat] explor[es] intense sadness, isolation, and despair and [is] looking at how children and teenagers really struggle to cope with these issues of body image and family dysfunction…. And I have to say, [She] know[s] what [she’s] talking about…. [Sobat] send[s] a really strong, clear message that it is possible to survive and, even more importantly, that it is worth getting better….Those are really powerful and important messages." - Jo-Ann Roberts and Nikki Tate-Stratton, CBC’s All Points West (Bookclub)

"I hope this teen fiction novel becomes a movie! It's amazing!" - Naila Baig, CBC’s Canada Reads: The Book Club