Braced

Starred review from December 15, 2016
Both the literal and figurative senses of the word "spine" form the backbone of Gerber's debut. The same day white seventh-grader Rachel Brooks starts in an important soccer game, she learns that her scoliosis has worsened, and she now needs to wear a brace for 23 hours a day. The author, who wore a brace herself, vividly conveys its constricting bulk. But her spine isn't the only curve Rachel has to brace herself for. Her mother, whose own scoliosis required a spinal fusion, is rigid and unsympathetic as the brace affects Rachel's soccer technique and jeopardizes her place on the team. Her classmates gossip, and though her friends and crush are generally supportive, the author nails their realistic discomfort at being bullied by association. Ultimately, her friends help her to adjust, and Rachel learns to assert herself. As Rachel grows a spine, her mother learns to bend, sympathetically revealing the fears she never addressed during her own treatment. Their disparate experiences give scoliosis--and their relationship--nuance as well as tension. The author doesn't diminish Rachel's difficulties, but at heart her story is uplifting; a brace can be a "built-in drum" to dance to. An author's note provides a short list of scoliosis resources. Comparisons to Judy Blume's Deenie (1973) might be inevitable, but Rachel stands admirably on her own. (Fiction. 11-14)

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January 1, 2017

Gr 5-7-Gerber's debut novel tells the story of 12-year-old Rachel Brooks, who has scoliosis. At first this just meant a lot of annoying doctor's appointments, but the summer before seventh grade, Rachel is told that she must wear a bulky back brace for 23 hours a day in order to stop the progression of the curvature of her spine. Rachel also loves soccer. Wearing the brace is bad enough, but how will she keep her coveted spot on the soccer team when she'll have to learn how to play all over again with the brace? Friendships and loyalties are tested, but eventually everything is neatly resolved. One can't help but be reminded of Judy Blume's 1973 classic, Deenie. However, this novel falls a bit short of Blume's. The narrative plods along, reading like a (rather dull) account of Rachel's ordeal navigating soccer tryouts, friendships, family, and first love. Although readers will appreciate Rachel's determination and courage, it is hard to become fully engaged in the story. The overall plot is thin, and the secondary characters are not very well fleshed out, which may lead to a bit of apathy on the part of readers. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries that are looking to bulk up their realistic fiction offerings for middle graders.-Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Rachel's life is going really well. She's 12 and totally crushing it on the soccer field (which means more time with her best-friend teammates), and everyone agrees that the ridiculously cute Tate is within days of asking her to be official BF/GF. All of that comes to a crashing halt when her Boston specialist reveals she has scoliosis. In fact, the curvature of her spine is so extreme that she'll have to wear a back bracea heavy hulk of white padded plastic stretching from armpits to tail bonefor 23 hours a day. She tries to keep her spirits up but feels like a freak. Her soccer game plummets, and it seems like everyoneeven her friends and Tateare whispering in the halls. How can everything turn upside down so quickly? And where can she possibly find the strength to power through? Rachel's first-person narration relays her story in a surprisingly intimate, beautifully earnest voice, likely attributable to Gerber herself suffering from scoliosis and wearing a fitted brace in her formative years. Here she captures the preteen mindset so authentically that it's simultaneously delightful and painful. Every hallway whisper and direct insult will cut to the reader's heart, and the details about the process of wearing a brace in all its agoniesand, yes, benefitsare a natural and enlightening thread through the story. A masterfully constructed and highly empathetic debut about a different kind of acceptance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Rachel Brooks had been looking forward to seventh grade until her doctor prescribed a back brace for scoliosis. The rigid brace makes shopping for clothes terrible, threatens her role on the soccer team, and elicits cruel teasing (including the unfortunate name "Robo-Beast"); even her mother (who also had scoliosis) doesn't seem understanding. Rachel's struggle to fit in despite looking different is poignant and believable.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)