Skip to content
  • About Us
  • Books
  • Level Up!
  • Authors/Illustrators
  • Activities
  • Catalogs
  • Publicity
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Books
  • Level Up!
  • Authors/Illustrators
  • Activities
  • Catalogs
  • Publicity
  • Contact Us
9781499814323 (2)

The Year I Didn’t Eat (Paperback)

By Samuel Pollen

$12.99 US / $17.99 CAN

Dear Ana,

Some days are normal. Some days, everything is OK, and I eat three square meals, pretty much, even if those squares are ridiculously small squares.

Some days, I can almost pretend there’s nothing wrong.

Fourteen-year-old Max doesn’t like to eat, and the only one he can confess his true feelings to is Ana—also known as his eating disorder, anorexia. In a journal that his therapist makes him keep, he tells Ana his unfiltered thoughts and fears while also keeping track of his food intake. But Ana’s presence has leapt off the page and into his head, as she feeds upon all of his fears and amplifies them.

When Max’s older brother Robin gives him a geocache box, it becomes a safe place where Max stores his journal, but someone finds it and starts writing to him, signing it with “E.” Is it a joke? Could it be the new girl at school, Evie, who has taken an interest in Max? Although Max is unsure of the secret writer’s identity, he takes comfort in the words that appear in his journal as they continually confide in one another about their problems.

As Max’s eating disorder intensifies, his family unit fractures. His parents and brother are stressed and strained as they attempt to deal with the elephant in the room. When Robin leaves home, Max is left with two parents who are on the verge of splitting up. Max thought he could handle his anorexia, but as time goes on, he feels himself losing any semblance of control.

Will anorexia continue to rule Max’s life, or will he be able to find a way to live around his eating disorder?

Out of stock

Book Details

ISBN9781499814323
Page Count344
FormatPaperback
Age range12 and up
Publication date09/05/23
Publication seasonFall 2023
RightsUS, Canada

Author/Illustrator Bio

  • Samuel Pollen grew up in Cheshire, United Kingdom, and now lives in London. His debut novel is an enthralling, touching and uplifting book, based on his own experience with anorexia. When he's not writing books, Sam works as a copywriter. And when he's not writing at all, he runs, bakes, and crochets. You can find out more at samuelpollen.com.
  • Description

Product Description

Dear Ana,

Some days are normal. Some days, everything is OK, and I eat three square meals, pretty much, even if those squares are ridiculously small squares.

Some days, I can almost pretend there’s nothing wrong.

Fourteen-year-old Max doesn’t like to eat, and the only one he can confess his true feelings to is Ana—also known as his eating disorder, anorexia. In a journal that his therapist makes him keep, he tells Ana his unfiltered thoughts and fears while also keeping track of his food intake. But Ana’s presence has leapt off the page and into his head, as she feeds upon all of his fears and amplifies them.

When Max’s older brother Robin gives him a geocache box, it becomes a safe place where Max stores his journal, but someone finds it and starts writing to him, signing it with “E.” Is it a joke? Could it be the new girl at school, Evie, who has taken an interest in Max? Although Max is unsure of the secret writer’s identity, he takes comfort in the words that appear in his journal as they continually confide in one another about their problems.

As Max’s eating disorder intensifies, his family unit fractures. His parents and brother are stressed and strained as they attempt to deal with the elephant in the room. When Robin leaves home, Max is left with two parents who are on the verge of splitting up. Max thought he could handle his anorexia, but as time goes on, he feels himself losing any semblance of control.

Will anorexia continue to rule Max’s life, or will he be able to find a way to live around his eating disorder?

You may also like…

  • 9781499810066

    Jelly

    By Jo Cotterill
    Pub Date: January 7, 2020
    $16.99
  • 9781499811810 (1)

    Nothing Ever Happens Here

    By Sarah Hagger-Holt
    Pub Date: May 04, 2021
    $17.99
  • the-inside-battle-9781499809176_xlg

    The Inside Battle

    By Melanie Sumrow
    Pub Date: March 3, 2020
    $16.99
  • TheYearIDidn'tEat9781499808087

    The Year I Didn’t Eat (Hardcover)

    By Samuel Pollen
    Pub Date: February 12, 2019
    $17.99
  • 9781499806748

    Fadeaway

    By Maura Ellen Stokes
    Pub Date: June 5, 2018
    $16.99
  • General Information
  • Booksellers
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Instagram Giveaway Rules
  • TikTok Giveaway Rules

Stay Connected

get the latest buzz!

  • © 2025 Little Bee Books. All Rights Reserved. Site by The Assembly
Wishlist 0
Continue Shopping