Alyson Gerber

Sarah loves playing basketball. The basketball court it the only place that she can find her confidence. At home her mother has a problem with food and body image and often forgets to feed Sarah. This makes Sarah feel self- conscious and different from everyone else. But then, her body starts to change and basketball starts becoming difficult erasing all of the self confidence that she once had.
This story deals with body image and self confidence two key concepts in the lives of teens and tweens. The author crafts a realistic character driven story about a girl struggling with both while trying to find her true self. Teen and tween girls in grades 3-6 will relate to the main character as they see themselves having the same struggles.… (meer)

Recommended by Maya B.

Clea is struggling in seventh grade, and after spending a few chapters in her head, the reader will understand why: she works so hard, but her brain zings from one thing to another, constantly distracting her, and she blames herself for being dumb and lazy. Based on a suggestion from the school, Clea's parents take her to a doctor to have her evaluated, and she's diagnosed with ADHD. The doctor earns Clea's trust by being honest and talking directly to her; Clea is honest in turn, even when it's not what her parents want to hear (or were willing to listen to at home). To Clea, the most important things are chess, her best friendship with Red, and her little sister Henley - and her parents want to take away chess so Clea will have more time for her regular schoolwork. That cannot happen - so Clea tries Ms. Curtis' strategies, asks for help, and tries medication. Combined, these efforts begin to help, but not before Clea impulsively spills a personal secret of Red's while trying to defend him. Will he forgive her? Meanwhile, Clea's science partner and chess teammate Sanam becomes a good friend, and reveals that she has dyslexia and needs certain accommodations at school too. Clea learns to identify her needs and ask to have them met, and she identifies her superpower as well: persistence in the face of adversity.

A tremendous empathy-builder for those without ADHD, and a book that's likely to make those with ADHD feel seen and understood.

See also: Give and Take by Elly Swartz, Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Quotes

I wish getting made fun of didn't hurt so much every tie and I could get better at it, like I have with chess, but it's the kind of thing that never seems to get easier. (97)

"Do you think you can change?"
"I want to."
"I bet you will. I'm pretty sure that's how it works. You can make most things happen if you keep trying." (Sanam and Clea, 235)

"Falling down and getting back up is sort of my thing."
"It's like your superpower." (Clea and Sanam, 287)… (meer)

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 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… (meer)