  | Taking up space Author: Gerber, Alyson | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Twelve-year old Sarah is used to being the star on her basketball team, playing with her best friends, but suddenly she finds that her body is changing and she does not understand why she cannot keep up on the court, plus she does not understand why her mother has gotten so weird about food, binging on candy while forgetting about dinner. When Benny, her crush, offers to teach her how to cook and recruits her to a cooking competition she starts to stand up for herself and improve things.
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| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.30 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 512310 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (04/01/21)
Booklist (05/01/21)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/01/2021 Sarah Weber is a star on her seventh-grade basketball team until puberty hits, and suddenly she feels clumsy, slow, and easily winded. She decides cutting back on eating will help, and for a while she feels energized, until the day she collapses mid-game on the court. Spurred on by BFF Ryan, Sarah confides in Coach Lemon, who arranges for the school counselor and Sarah's parents to get her professional help. Gerber's descriptions of Sarah's emotional state and obsessive thinking patterns are spot-on: she equates food with love, wants her body to go back to normal, and is afraid to eat certain foods. Sarah's mom (who has her own eating disorder) is also particularly apt; she often forgets to prepare dinner and keeps only enough food in the house for the next meal. Misunderstandings with teammates, a crush on a boy in her health class, and preparations for a Chef Junior contest round out this well-developed narrative. Appended with an author's note and resources, this is both informative and entertaining, especially for younger teens. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
