The Blue Dress

Yasmin Safavi is twelve years old, and her family has moved from Iran to Ashbury Falls, Virginia. It was a difficult transition, but her father loves his engineering job with Boeing, and Yasmin has worked hard to rid herself of her Persian accent. Her mother misses her sisters, but dedicates her time to Yasmin and her younger brother Ali. As Nowruz (Persian New Year) approaches, Yasmin's mother makes her a beautiful dress to wear, but purposefully makes it too tight so that Yasmin will lose weight. She doesn't, and is very frustrated. Her mother frequently makes comments about her weight, and pressures her to eat lunches that include just carrots and a dry turkey sandwich on whole wheat. Yasmin's best friend, Carmen, has a different family dynamic, with a warm and supportive mother who offers Yasmin hugs as well as delicious meals. School is also stressful, since popular girl Zoe and her minions Olivia and Hannah constantly berate Yasmin for her curly hair and bushy eyebrows. Yasmin has a crush on the popular Jack, who seems to return her attention, perhaps because he is also the target of some of Zoe's comments, especially about his love of Dungeons and Dragons. Yasmin's mother is so overbearing that she often buys packs of Oreos at the neighborhood CVS and eats them in secret; after one such snack food binge, she makes herself throw up. She also starts skipping dinner, with her mother's approval, although her father frequently voices concerns. Seeing Zoe crying in the bathroom, Yasmin offers support, and finds out that Zoe's busy parents are always fighting. The two bond, and Yasmin realizes Zoe isn't all bad, but her relationship causes problems with Carmen. It doesn't help that Yasmin is straightening her hair, plucking her eyebrows, attempting to wear makeup, and spending ridiculous amounts of money on a Lululemon jacket. On a class trip to a museum, classmate Peyton is verbally abusive, calling Yasmin a terrorist and saying that Iranians "hate Americans". No one stands up for her. When Yasmin makes herself throw up at Carmen's house after the two reconcile, Carmen tells a teacher at school, who makes Yasmin talk to a school counselor. The counselor in turn alerts her parents, has them meet, and recommends a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. Yasmin's mother balks, because she has been pleased with Yasmin's weight loss and claims that the family can handle the issue themselves, but the father overrides her and Yasmin gets help. Unspoken details about the mother's family dynamics with her brother are revealed, and the family works to help Yasmin. At an end of year party, Jack asks Yasmin if they can play chess over the summer, and says he is glad to see her return to wearing her hair curly.