Reading may be an easy way to help your kids to lose weight. But only if they read the right type of novel.

You see, researchers at Duke Children’s Hospital asked obese girls from 9 to 13 years old to read a certain novel to see if it would help them with weight loss.

The novel, Lake Rescue, was appropriate for their ages. But most importantly, it was written with the aid of pediatric experts to send positive messages about weight management and healthy lifestyles.

The girls were already enrolled in a weight loss program before reading this novel. So the Duke researchers were curious to see if the novel would have a positive impact on the girls.

Here’s what they found after six months…

The 31 young girls who read Lake Rescue reduced their body-mass index (BMI) by .71%, but the 14 girls who didn’t read the book increased their BMI by .05%.

With childhood obesity currently about 3 times what it was in 1980, researchers are continuing to search for effective ways to help these children with weight loss.

Most lifestyle changes don’t work well with children, while medications and surgical procedures can have dangerous side effects.

So even though the decrease in BMI was small for the girls who read the book, the researchers were excited by the findings because it was a safe, easy way for the kids to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle.