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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
This was a great middle school debut novel that addresses racism but is centered around figure skating. I have always loved figure skating and Maxine references several of my favorite skaters, which really drew me into the story. 12-year old Maxine Chen lives in Lake Placid and is in the middle of preparing for a major competition. She loves skating and competing, but sometimes can push herself too much. What I loved about this novel is that while her parents are strict about certain things, including homework and good nutrition, they also often check in with her to make sure that she still wants to do this. Much of the pressure on her comes from Maxine herself, which is refreshing to see in an Asian family. I am a Taiwanese American and I greatly appreciated this #ownvoices novel that doesn't just stereotype Asians. However, she experiences bullying for being Asian in the very white town of Lake Placid, primarily from a boy named Alex, backed up by his friends. Some of the stuff he says seems so stereotypical of a racist, except I myself experienced some of that when I was growing up. I was expecting The Comeback referenced in the title to refer to an ice skating comeback after a fiasco, and while there was some of that in this book, it was also about coming back from being bullied, and learning that adults can be part of your community and you don't have to fight alone. I also loved the friendship that Maxine developed and I loved the reference about friendship that her mom told her about trees growing at different rates and in different directions. Overall, I would recommend this for advanced elementary school kids, as well as middle school, especially if you love ice skating.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a great middle school debut novel that addresses racism but is centered around figure skating. I have always loved figure skating and Maxine references several of my favorite skaters, which really drew me into the story. 12-year old Maxine Chen lives in Lake Placid and is in the middle of preparing for a major competition. She loves skating and competing, but sometimes can push herself too much. What I loved about this novel is that while her parents are strict about certain things, including homework and good nutrition, they also often check in with her to make sure that she still wants to do this. Much of the pressure on her comes from Maxine herself, which is refreshing to see in an Asian family. I am a Taiwanese American and I greatly appreciated this #ownvoices novel that doesn't just stereotype Asians. However, she experiences bullying for being Asian in the very white town of Lake Placid, primarily from a boy named Alex, backed up by his friends. Some of the stuff he says seems so stereotypical of a racist, except I myself experienced some of that when I was growing up. I was expecting The Comeback referenced in the title to refer to an ice skating comeback after a fiasco, and while there was some of that in this book, it was also about coming back from being bullied, and learning that adults can be part of your community and you don't have to fight alone. I also loved the friendship that Maxine developed and I loved the reference about friendship that her mom told her about trees growing at different rates and in different directions. Overall, I would recommend this for advanced elementary school kids, as well as middle school, especially if you love ice skating.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There are so many things I enjoyed about The Comeback -- the setting, the friendship between Maxine and Hollie, and Maxine's relationship with her parents, to name a few. I especially loved the behind-the-scenes look at ice-skating competitions.
My only concern with the bullying subplot is how long Maxine waited to get help from the adults in her life. My own middle-grade reader had her own bully a couple of years ago, and she thought she needed to handle it on her own. I think this book is a great conversation starter!
(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
My only concern with the bullying subplot is how long Maxine waited to get help from the adults in her life. My own middle-grade reader had her own bully a couple of years ago, and she thought she needed to handle it on her own. I think this book is a great conversation starter!
(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Maxine is a character you'll root for. My 9 year old (intended audience, but whatever) read it about 4 times in a row. I loved her persistence and how the book dealt with friendships - for example, Maxine is dealing with anti-Asian racism at her school (TW!) and has an instance where she snaps at someone, and has to look at herself and how that made her feel like a bully.
I appreciated how I know nothing about figure skating but just from watching the winter olympics I felt like I could follow there floor routine - the author explains it so well without turning it into pageant drama.
I appreciated how I know nothing about figure skating but just from watching the winter olympics I felt like I could follow there floor routine - the author explains it so well without turning it into pageant drama.
Maxine Chen absolutely loved figure skating and is training for the regional competitions. When a new girl, Hollie, shows up at her ice rink, Maxine is instantly jealous of her skills. But after experiencing racist acts from a classmate (and some convincing from her mom), Maxine becomes friends with Hollie. The two train to do their best at their competitions and support one another with personal issues...and Maxine continues to feel at home on the rink.
A great middle grade book that focuses on skating! Additional topics (racism, competition mindset, friendship, etc) are seamlessly woven into the story.
A great middle grade book that focuses on skating! Additional topics (racism, competition mindset, friendship, etc) are seamlessly woven into the story.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book really brought me back to my childhood. I never figure skated, but little me always sat in front of the tv and watched figure skating on tv, dreaming of being a figure skater myself, cause the dresses were all so pretty.
I loved this book.
This comes with trigger warnings, and it really was hard hitting at times.
But overall, this book was just a joy to read.
I TRULY love the Chen family, Maxine and her parents have such a great and supportive relationship. You know getting into a book that is about a kid being a figure skater (or being any kind of athlete), you are just a bit worried about the parents and how much pressure they put on their kids. The Chen family was really all about balance, taking breaks and having fun.
I also really loved the friendship element. This book shows friendships you grow out of, and while it's always a bit painful, it also opens the door for other friendships. I just loved that the book went in the direction it did and showed (especially young) readers that there doesn't have to be female rivalry.
Also, bullies suck!!!
I loved this book.
This comes with trigger warnings, and it really was hard hitting at times.
But overall, this book was just a joy to read.
I TRULY love the Chen family, Maxine and her parents have such a great and supportive relationship. You know getting into a book that is about a kid being a figure skater (or being any kind of athlete), you are just a bit worried about the parents and how much pressure they put on their kids. The Chen family was really all about balance, taking breaks and having fun.
I also really loved the friendship element. This book shows friendships you grow out of, and while it's always a bit painful, it also opens the door for other friendships. I just loved that the book went in the direction it did and showed (especially young) readers that there doesn't have to be female rivalry.
Also, bullies suck!!!
A charming and honest look at middle school through the eyes of a young student athlete. Maxine dreams of figure skating in the Olympics, but it's not always a fun journey. There's lots of balancing her school work, some jealousy with more talented competitors, and the challenges that can come with being a person of color in a not-very-diverse town and thus becomes the victim of bullying. I read this entire book in one sitting and was rooting for Max every step of the way!
Maxine is dealing with a demanding sport, bullying in school, and losing her best friend. She meets Hollie, her competitor, who seems to have it all, but learns things aren’t always as they seem.
This is Middle Grade fiction based in the world of figure skating. As a fan of figure skating and sports fiction, I loved the figure skating aspect and the references to the greats in the sport. The issue of racial bullying is also addressed. Overall I feel this is well written and The Comeback is referred to in different ways. There are comebacks in competition, comebacks in life, and verbal comebacks to racist comments. I feel that parents should supervise the reading of this book with kids under 12 so they can discuss the racial bullying aspect.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.
This is Middle Grade fiction based in the world of figure skating. As a fan of figure skating and sports fiction, I loved the figure skating aspect and the references to the greats in the sport. The issue of racial bullying is also addressed. Overall I feel this is well written and The Comeback is referred to in different ways. There are comebacks in competition, comebacks in life, and verbal comebacks to racist comments. I feel that parents should supervise the reading of this book with kids under 12 so they can discuss the racial bullying aspect.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.
I love reading children's/middle grade stories even though I am not the target audience for the story. It's interesting for me to see how stories have changed and grown since I was younger, and they really have for the better. Stories like this weren't present in my childhood and if they were around they were not advertised or well known, like I believe this book is.
The little saying on the cover says it all
Winning is harder than it looks
So true. Not everything is a happily ever after and that's not something I fully learned and understood until I was 19, so for that to be printed on the cover of a novel meant for a juvenile audience really impresses me.
This book covered a lot of important ground. Your friends are allowed to change as you continue to grow up. Don't tolerate mean boys (or girls for that matter). You're beautiful in your own skin, no matter what you look like, working hard doesn't always mean winning but that's okay, jealousy can be toxic but you can recover.
Our main character Maxine has to learn all of these lessons throughout the course of this book and the author writes it tastefully. I love that these things were covered in this book, like I said I'm very impressed, because I think these are crucial things for young people to know. Maxine has to realize that childhood friends don't always last forever because they change and so do you. She has to deal with mean boys and them making racist comments about how she looks, and her response is appropriate for someone her age, but she later figures out that she doesn't need any eye tape to be beautiful because she is already. She also learns how to use makeup to enhance the beauty she already has, which I love because I feel like she is the age where I first got into using makeup. The next thing is something I personally understand on such a deep level: working hard doesn't always mean winning. This is probably my favorite lesson in the whole book because this is still something I'm struggling to grasp as a 22 year old, so portraying that in a book like this could help speed up the process of realization for younger people as they grow up. Maxine works hard, while she is dealing with all the other aspects that come with growing up, and she is successful, but her dream is still out of her reach; however, it's not fully out of range if she keeps working and growing up and learning. I love Maxine's friendship with Hollie. It starts off exactly how I imagine many friendships start off in childhood (some of mine included). Maxine is jealous of how amazing Hollie is at skating and is scared that because of Hollie's talent she won't qualify in her next competition. And despite Maxine's toxic jealous behavior, she realizes her mistakes and after some apologies, her and Hollie become friends and relate to each others skating and personal life struggles. This kind of friendship is important to have as you grow up and I like that the author included it.
Also random side note: the author got into skating because of the movie Ice Princess and omg that is the best thing ever!
Overall, I really liked this book! I rate most books of this kind three stars not because they are bad but because they are not targeted at me and I get what I can out of them.
The little saying on the cover says it all
Winning is harder than it looks
So true. Not everything is a happily ever after and that's not something I fully learned and understood until I was 19, so for that to be printed on the cover of a novel meant for a juvenile audience really impresses me.
This book covered a lot of important ground. Your friends are allowed to change as you continue to grow up. Don't tolerate mean boys (or girls for that matter). You're beautiful in your own skin, no matter what you look like, working hard doesn't always mean winning but that's okay, jealousy can be toxic but you can recover.
Our main character Maxine has to learn all of these lessons throughout the course of this book and the author writes it tastefully. I love that these things were covered in this book, like I said I'm very impressed, because I think these are crucial things for young people to know. Maxine has to realize that childhood friends don't always last forever because they change and so do you. She has to deal with mean boys and them making racist comments about how she looks, and her response is appropriate for someone her age, but she later figures out that she doesn't need any eye tape to be beautiful because she is already. She also learns how to use makeup to enhance the beauty she already has, which I love because I feel like she is the age where I first got into using makeup. The next thing is something I personally understand on such a deep level: working hard doesn't always mean winning. This is probably my favorite lesson in the whole book because this is still something I'm struggling to grasp as a 22 year old, so portraying that in a book like this could help speed up the process of realization for younger people as they grow up. Maxine works hard, while she is dealing with all the other aspects that come with growing up, and she is successful, but her dream is still out of her reach; however, it's not fully out of range if she keeps working and growing up and learning. I love Maxine's friendship with Hollie. It starts off exactly how I imagine many friendships start off in childhood (some of mine included). Maxine is jealous of how amazing Hollie is at skating and is scared that because of Hollie's talent she won't qualify in her next competition. And despite Maxine's toxic jealous behavior, she realizes her mistakes and after some apologies, her and Hollie become friends and relate to each others skating and personal life struggles. This kind of friendship is important to have as you grow up and I like that the author included it.
Also random side note: the author got into skating because of the movie Ice Princess and omg that is the best thing ever!
Overall, I really liked this book! I rate most books of this kind three stars not because they are bad but because they are not targeted at me and I get what I can out of them.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes