Publisher : Scholastic Inc. (May 18, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1338186000
ISBN-13 : 978-1338186000
"This affirming novel offers a normalizing message about discussing body image and mental health." —Publishers Weekly
"[Gerber] supplies a positive representation of constructive approaches to an often misunderstood condition...Pragmatic and valuable." —Kirkus Reviews
AWARDS
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Scholastic Summer 2021 Dewey Diva Picks — Shortlist
But lately Sarah can’t even play basketball right. She’s slower now and missing shots she should be able to make. Her body doesn’t feel like it’s her own anymore. She’s worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what’s happening.
When Sarah’s crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million directions. She’ll have to dig deep to stand up for what she needs at home, be honest with her best friends, and accept that she doesn’t need to change to feel good about herself.
There’s something that happens to me when I’m onthe court, when I’m cutting and guarding and workingto win—I know for sure I matter, and that I’mimportant to our team. It’s not hard for me to saywhat I need in basketball, because the rules are clear. Everyone has to speak up to sup- port one another so we can play our best. I never want the game to end.
I don’t stand too close to number twelve. I’vealready fouled three times since Coach Lemon put mein at the start. If I foul two more times, I’m out for thegame.
Fouling isn’t always a bad thing. It can be. But ithappens when you guard close and play aggressively, which I do. Only something feels off again today. It’sbeen like this since basketball season started five weeks ago, like my hands and feet aren’t mine. Everytime I try to block a shot I end up accidentallybumping into the shooter or stepping into wherethey’re jumping, making it hard for them to land.Number twelve shouldn’t be able to outrun me, but itfeels like I can’t keep up. I need to get my head in thegame.
I’m one of the strongest players on the team. My best friend, Ryan, and I both play hard and crush it on the court. Basketball is my number one favorite thingever. It’s Ryan’s too. We’ve been practicing a lot, afterschool and on weekends with her older twin brothers, Max and Everett, who are get- ting college basketballscholarships. They’re juniors now, and they already have a bunch of really good offers. All they have to do is commit to a school. Ryan and I both want to play incollege one day too.
Copyright © 2021 by Alyson Gerber
Braced, Focused, and Taking Up Space are all Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Braced received three starred reviews and has been nominated for state book awards in Oklahoma, Indiana, New Hampshire, Virginia, South Dakota, and Georgia. Focused was picked as a best book of year by The Today Show, Kirkus Reviews, and A Mighty Girl and has been nominated for state book awards in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Michigan. Alyson’s latest novel, Taking Up Space, based on her experience with disordered eating, will be published on May 18, 2021. Taking Up Space will help readers recognize how much they matter and see that if something negative is taking up space in their minds, even if there isn’t a name for it, they should ask for help.
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