[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
In middle school, Sarah is starting to notice how her body is changing as she gets older. Nothing feels “normal” or “right.” And she feels like it is impacting how she plays basketball. And basketball means everything to Sarah.
So she starts thinking about what she can do to change things. Maybe like eating less and following the “rules” about food would help. Health class gives her some ideas. Her mom has a lot of food rules, too. In fact, there are times when Sarah’s mom forgets to go shopping, leaving nothing in the house for dinner or breakfast. Sarah’s dad travels for work, so he eats on the run a lot of the time. But Sarah’s a kid – she can’t just pick something up for herself.
And on top of all the other food drama – and basketball drama, and friend drama – Sarah starts cooking with her crush so they can try out for a kids cooking show. But so much of what they are cooking is against Sarah’s new rules.
When Sarah’s friends start to comment on how little she is eating, and it starts to negatively impact her on the court, everything comes to a tipping point.
Review
I really felt for Sarah in this! The author does an excellent job conveying Sarah’s thinking about food (and other topics) and showing how that impacts what Sarah thinks about herself. There’s a lot of conflicting information – and misinterpreted information. And then there’s the role Sarah’s parents play in the bigger picture of Sarah’s eating and food-related issues. I enjoyed the hopeful, supportive, yet direct way Sarah’s situation is handled.
Food and disordered eating is a huge piece of the story. And it could be overwhelming or triggering for some readers (TW). But that’s not the only thread in the story. There are some great basketball moments and some meaty friendship pieces to the book as well. The author does a great job here, as well, showing Sarah taking what she is learning in counseling and applying it to other areas of her life. I loved the positive messages in the book about therapy, too.
Obviously there’s a lot here for kids to sink their teeth into – the friendship issues, the cooking and cooking show pieces, the basketball, and the food/eating parts. This would be an excellent choice for a read-aloud or for book groups. I highly recommend this one! Some other great middle grade books that deal with disordered eating include Goodbye, Mr. Terupt, Everything I Know About You (♥♥♥♥½), and Still a Work in Progress (♥♥♥♥♥). (TW: Disordered eating/thinking about food)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.
– If you haven’t read a Babymouse graphic novel before, you’re missing out. They are FUN, with great pop culture references throughout each story. This particular one focuses on the Olympics.
– Our family has played fantasy football for years. That made this book extra fun to read. Even though it is written for kids, my husband and I both enjoyed it. It’s about a kid who is amazing at fantasy football. Then he gets to try his skills with an actual football team. 
– I haven’t read this one yet, but I have it on my TBR pile. It focuses on a deaf kid who wants to play football and the challenges he faces. I’m really looking forward to reading this one.
, it starts a series of identity struggles for the boys. “Who am I if I’m not the ‘athletic one’ any more?” In book two,
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