Author validates big boned girls

Meg Cabot writes books for the teen set -- her one claim to fame is The Princess Diaries series -- and she writes for us grown up people too. The good thing about the message she authors for adults is this: She makes it OK to be big boned.

Size 12 is Not Fat and Size 14 is Not Fat Either are two of Cabot's books. Big Boned is another. All are mysteries, written with easy-to-follow and witty storylines -- size 12 character Heather Wells, an ex-pop star turned assistant dormitory director, finds herself tangled in various student murder mysteries and gives equal time to her detective work and her body image. Wells dwells on her size at times, cracks jokes about her plumpish figure, and shares her struggles with diet and exercise -- she is no stranger to indulgence and finds her commitment to fitness marginal, at best. Wells is real, human. That's what I like about her. She knows she's got room for improvement when it comes to healthy living. She also knows happiness doesn't always come in a size two package.

Looking for a good book, plus some validation for the fact that it's OK to be a size 12, or 14? If so, Cabot may be just the author for you.