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abigailbat's review against another edition
I loved this heartfelt book about a middle school girl recovering from a devastating knee injury that may have ended her ballet career before it even started. With a warm blended family supporting her, Maisie still struggles to accept that her torn ACL is not as healed as she wishes it was and that her ballet friends are moving on to pursuits without her. I do think the cover looks younger than the content of the book; although there's no Mature content, Maisie does think deeply about her relationships with her family and their relationships with their Native Nations. This is a book that will resonate with readers who put a lot of pressure on themselves pursuing creative arts.
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
shadeyc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
I really do love Day's writing, her characters are beautiful, and you don't feel talked down to while reading middle grade.
stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Librarian Book Group
The stakes were low, but middle grade readers who are separated from the thing they love due to injury might feel differently about this story of a girl nursing a knee injury that is keeping her from dancing. It's also a good chronicle of taking things out on your family.
This book was at the bottom of the to-read pile for a long time because the cover was conveying that this story was set in perhaps Norway, and there would be fairies and ogres and many magical things. Imagine my surprise when I started to read and found out it was a contemporary middle grade set in Seattle and Olympic National Park.
The stakes were low, but middle grade readers who are separated from the thing they love due to injury might feel differently about this story of a girl nursing a knee injury that is keeping her from dancing. It's also a good chronicle of taking things out on your family.
This book was at the bottom of the to-read pile for a long time because the cover was conveying that this story was set in perhaps Norway, and there would be fairies and ogres and many magical things. Imagine my surprise when I started to read and found out it was a contemporary middle grade set in Seattle and Olympic National Park.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
Maisie is a 12-year-old Makah/Piscataway girl who injures (you're never sure exactly what she does to it -- tear, sprain, etc.) her ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament. It's a common injury suffered by 100,000-200,000 people every year, many of them amateur sports participants, from ballet to soccer to basketball.
Maisie thinks she's an aspiring ballet dancer, and as such, it's quite a set back. Like many kids her age, she's anxious and irritable with her family on the journey to recovery and still has dreams of returning to ballet. But they're inherently unrealistic dreams -- she doesn't realize she won't be able to do the things she did before her injury for a very, very long time, if ever.
That impatience and unwillingness to change her expectations leads her to not always be honest about the pain she's still feeling, which leads a physical therapist to OK her for more strenuous activity. She goes on a hike with her parents and ...big set back.
Maisie is lucky it happens to her while she's still so young. She has an opportunity to change her life's direction, but it isn't easy for her to mourn, accept the loss and move on. I know seniors in high school who've suffered similar injuries (in soccer, not ballet) after receiving scholarships, and it's devasting to not only lose the sport they love, but the ability to pay for college, as well.
This was a quick read, and it demonstrates the crushing emotional blow a physical injury like an ACL tear can deliver to performance athletes.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Maisie thinks she's an aspiring ballet dancer, and as such, it's quite a set back. Like many kids her age, she's anxious and irritable with her family on the journey to recovery and still has dreams of returning to ballet. But they're inherently unrealistic dreams -- she doesn't realize she won't be able to do the things she did before her injury for a very, very long time, if ever.
That impatience and unwillingness to change her expectations leads her to not always be honest about the pain she's still feeling, which leads a physical therapist to OK her for more strenuous activity. She goes on a hike with her parents and ...big set back.
Maisie is lucky it happens to her while she's still so young. She has an opportunity to change her life's direction, but it isn't easy for her to mourn, accept the loss and move on. I know seniors in high school who've suffered similar injuries (in soccer, not ballet) after receiving scholarships, and it's devasting to not only lose the sport they love, but the ability to pay for college, as well.
This was a quick read, and it demonstrates the crushing emotional blow a physical injury like an ACL tear can deliver to performance athletes.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
ashn702's review against another edition
4.0
A quick and motivating read to overcome all obstacles that come in your way.
raaahella's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read. For anyone who has suffered an injury, through sports, dance or otherwise, it helps guide you on the journey of what that experience can look like for young adults and the differing vantage point of their other hardships. This would also be a great book for anyone around the middle school age or high school age. It is not too preachy, but does share how therapy can help. Both physical and mental support are necessary on the road to recovery for Maisie. And it uses one of those key phrases that is so important to remember, "hurt people, hurt people." I really enjoyed this book and the afterward about Indigenous peoples described in the book, but would have loved more within the story. The author did a great job of lightly weaving the history and some current matters in the tale. I also loved that it talk a bit about ballet! And for some girls, friendship and chatting on social media do not come naturally.