Alyson Gerber

Great kids-tween-teen book about an avid soccer playing girl, who needs to wear a back brace to correct her scoliosis as she is starting her 7th grade year. It's a fast read, very engaging, hits many useful themes well -- friend drama, soccer dedication, beginning romances/crushes, taking care of friends -- the friends who take care of Rachel and the things she does in return -- one of her besties is grieving the relatively recent loss of a parent by suicide. Hits the right notes on parent show more conflict as well -- Rachel is very hurt/frustrated with her mother's attitude toward the brace, which is predicated on her mother's own experience as a young person with scoliosis, and her ongoing unhappiness that her brace didn't work, so she had to get surgery. Really liked that the theme of the book is how to let people know what you need, and how to grow stronger through difficult situations. That is done with a light and very believable hand. Based on the author's experience and includes further resources in the back on living with scoliosis and wearing visible bracing. show less

Ah man. I'm definitely going to be recommending this book to students. I love that the way this book explores all the different motivations and emotions that can go into disordered eating, beyond the "wanting to be skinny" narrative that sometimes gets pushed as the end-all-be-all of ED. Sarah was a well-rounded character who reminded me of myself as a kid (though she's much better at basketball than I was ever was). This story really treats all the complicated emotions surrounding puberty, show more parents, cliques, and crushes with all the weight and empathy kids deserve. show less

It's a #middlegrade book with a message, a very important one... YOU MATTER. Your needs matter. The problems you face matter. Your questions, thoughts, fears, everything... matters. The ones tackled here include body image, and our relationships not only with others, but with food.

Sarah is an amazing leading lady and watching her go from confident next WNBA star in the making to someone who could barely play a few minutes in the game without falling out was TOUGH. Thankfully she knew show more something was wrong and though unable to do it herself, she had friends brave enough to stand up to and for her. Throughout the story, we get to see through her eyes as she approaches each day and food or the struggle for enough and acceptance occupies her mind. It quite frankly was "taking up space" and that valuable mental property was so better filled by her interests. When help arrived, it wasn't instantaneous, it took time. It wasn't a quick fix, it took effort, commitment, and love. It was real and really based on the author's own experiences, so it hit THAT much harder. I feel that we owe her a great deal for sharing those times as well as her current reality in the hopes of saving others from their circumstances, and helping them learn to take charge.


**cope received for review; opinions are my own show less

Knocked this out in about two hours. This is such an important book for middle school kids to read. It addresses the fears and challenges of being labeled "other" and is heartfelt and real. Rachel is a seventh grader who likes to play soccer with her friends, dress up, watch girly movies, and have a good time. She's a pretty average kid, that is except for her special doctor appointments twice a year. She has scoliosis and they have to measure her spine and keep an eye on her. No big deal. show more But one visit the summer before school starts, it becomes a very big deal. Her back is getting worse and the doctor says she has to wear a brace. For 23 hours a day. How will she be able to stay on the soccer team? What clothes can she wear? How will she ever talk to her crush or go to school? She gets made fun of, struggles with soccer, and doesn't feel like her mom is listening to her. Clearly it's not smooth sailing but with the help of her pregnant mother, her dad, and her friends she learns how to adjust and how to make the best of an unfortunate situation. All kids should have to read this and learn a thing or two about empathy. Great story! show less