Background Information

Plot Outline- Eric Calhoune has always been more on the, to be honest, fat side. He was always more of an outcast, his only friend being Sarah Byrnes- a girl with socially crippling scars on her face and hands from severe burns. Though Eric has gotten skinnier, their friendship has lasted up to their senior year- where Sarah Byrnes is now in the Psych Ward at the Hospital and isn't talking. Eric tries to solve this mystery behind Sarah Byrnes while trying to solve the problems he's facing at school. But soon the truth of her past puts Eric and Sarah Byrnes in danger and they worry that it isn't long unitl one of them gets hurt or worse...

Setting- The setting isn't clear, but we know that the town that they live in isn't too far from Reno- but it's likely somewhere in the midwest. Some of the story takes place at Eric's house, the local high school, and Sacred Heart Hospital.

Characters- The main Character in Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is Eric Calhoune. He's overweight, and nicknamed Moby because of his weight and the fact that he's on the swim team. His best friends are Sarah Byrnes and Steve Ellerby, and he has a crush on Jody Mueller. Eric narrates the story in first person and is a round (meaning he expresses a range of emotions, strengths, and weakenesses,) and dynamic Character (meaning he grows throughout the story.)

Other characters are Sarah Byrnes- Eric's longtime friend with burns on her hands and face, and Stephen Ellerby- a non-conforming son of a preacher who is another one of Eric's good friends. Mark Brittain, a god-fearing and judgemental member of Eric's swim team, is a sort of enemy of Eric's. Jody Mueller, who is dating Mark, is Eric's crush and is in his Critical American Thinking class.