Review: "Taking Up Space," by Alyson Gerber

Sarah is a star basketball player in 7th grade and when puberty hits, her body is doing some growing and new things that make playing basketball a little more difficult than it used to be. Add to that Sarah isn't eating right. Her mom has issues with food and only buys what they need each day, but often she forgets to shop at all, leaving Sarah with no food at home. Now with her body image issues, Sarah decides that a diet is what she needs to get back to her old basketball-playing self. But her mom's food issues overlap with Sarah's until it hits crisis mode with Sarah passing out on the court during a game.

Gerber's novel is a bit autobiographical, as she says in her author's note. Food issues plague many girls (and boys), especially in the middle school/beginning of puberty years. I applaud Gerber for bringing this issue into a middle grade novel that handles it appropriately and has adults in Sarah's corner to help her deal with these issues.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***

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