Alyson can discuss how owning your ability to choose what you eat and realizing there is no such thing as 'bad' foods, as Sarah comes to realize, is an important step towards maintaining a healthy body image. At times it's freeing, but sometimes it's also challenging.

Learning how to cook is an important part of Sarah's growth in TAKING UP SPACE.

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.

When Sarah's crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million directions. 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. Her body doesn't feel like it's her own anymore. She's slower now and missing shots she should be able to make.

But lately Sarah can't even play basketball right. And it's the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. In the novel, Gerber tells the story of Sarah, who loves basketball more than anything. TAKING UP SPACE is also a tool for parents to start talking to their kids about food, body image, and self-worth, and is a must-have addition for middle school libraries everywhere. A poignant affirmation to young people that regardless of their shape or size, they deserve to be loved, and to love themselves. TAKING UP SPACE is a story about discovering your power, learning to question diet culture, and finding the courage to take up space in the world. Especially now, with Mental Health Awareness month and Children's Mental Health Awareness week fast approaching in May, it is vital to make more space for these conversations and stories - our health depends on it. With TAKING UP SPACE, Alyson brings these challenges out into the open. There is so much shame and secrecy in struggling with food and body image.

This isn't just a problem in the U.S. It's happening to a lot of kids around the world and studies show these numbers keep increasing. Half of all American kids want to be thinner and more than half feel better when they're restricting food. After a year of restrictions and lockdowns, disordered eating is on the rise, and it's more important than ever to deepen our understanding of food trauma. With TAKING UP SPACE, Gerber is changing the narrative around self-worth, body image, and food for the next generation.

Described by Booklist as a 'highly empathetic' and 'truly inspiring' writer, Gerber has written a realistic and compelling novel based on her own experiences with disordered eating. This May, critically acclaimed #ownvoices author Alyson Gerber will publish her new novel, TAKING UP SPACE (Scholastic Hardcover $17.99 Ebook: $10.99).

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