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anna_wa's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After reading Camp QUILTBAG (the newest book written by AJ Sass), reading this book (AJ Sass's debut) was not at all what I expected. It's incredible how different the two books are, how much range AJ Sass has as a writer.
Reading this book, I immediately wanted to go out and buy a whole bunch of copies in bulk and then give them away to all of the middle school kids I know - before remembering that actually, as of right now I only know two middle school kids, and I also don't have an unlimited amount of money to buy 50 copies of this one book - no matter how wonderful it may be.
So the book... Ana On The Edge is about a twelve year old ice-skater named Ana. The moment the book begins, we are immediately entered into Ana's happy place: the rink. Performing a routine that was practiced and perfected for weeks, we see Ana fall into the rhythm of the skating, losing all cares about anyone or anything in the world other than this moment right here that is Ana and the ice. Ana does not think about the judges watching, getting ready to grade each skater on how their moves look and decide their futures by how well they do. No, all Ana thinks about is the ice. That's Ana's heart, Ana's home.
As someone who doesn't know anything about figure skating at all (outside of, like, the videos AJ Sass himself posts on his official Instagram) I was very entranced from the beginning. I've read several books about several different types of "sports kids" (not to mention my own siblings' history in soccer) but I had never read anything from the perspective of a figure skater - kid or adult - until now.
There were a lot - and I do mean A LOT - of moments in the book where Sass would describe moves on the ice that I didn't understand. Words like twizzles and toe turns sort of passed through my brain as I didn't fully know what they looked like (and maybe I should have paused to look it up but I didn't want to; I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next), but nonetheless I was absolutely enamored by how much Ana clearly loved skating. Ana's love for skating made me think of my love for writing and how I can lose myself in a writer's buzz and feel like nothing else in the world matters during that moment.
So, as I said before: we begin with Ana on the ice, at the juvenile nationals no less. Then we continue from there, with Mom and Coach Alex talking to Ana about how things are going to be different this summer. Good different. Ana is going to go to a new rink, where there will be a professional choreographer hired to teach Ana a new routine for the upcoming year and, if all goes well over the summer, Ana could end up skipping sectionals and go straight to regionals (which would save Mom a lot of money).
It all sounds great. Until... The choreographer tells Ana to wear a skirt to their sessions. This is not something Ana wants to do, although the reason why is not really clear even in Ana's own mind. It only gets worse when Ana learns that the number is gonna be Sleeping Beauty themed - and Ana's going to have to wear a big sparkly blue dress.
Meanwhile, Ana manages to accidentally grab the wrong nametag one time (for Alex, the coach) and a new boy at the rink - Hayden - thinks that Ana is a boy too. Ana doesn't correct him, relishing in the fact that for once someone who sees Ana does not automatically think "girl".
But it's still not clear in Ana's own brain why the big sparkly blue dress, why being seen as a girl to the world, feels so wrong. Especially when being seen as a boy by Hayden doesn't feel entirely right either. While Ana is going through all of this mental turmoil and debate, Tamar (Ana's best friend since the two of them were little) is also feeling like Ana doesn't really care about her anymore.
Between all of these things, Ana's life at the new rink is anything but what was expected/planned.
I really loved this book a lot and when I reached the ending of it, I wanted to cry. I feel like every kid should read this book, regardless of if they can relate to Ana's specific gender journey or not. Even if they can't, I feel like all children can relate to the feeling of knowing something is wrong/off but not having the words for it, to miscommunications in friendships, and to the feeling of wanting to tell an adult something but not being sure that they'll understand/being worried that they'll tell you you don't know yourself (when you do, better than anyone else).
Reading this book, I immediately wanted to go out and buy a whole bunch of copies in bulk and then give them away to all of the middle school kids I know - before remembering that actually, as of right now I only know two middle school kids, and I also don't have an unlimited amount of money to buy 50 copies of this one book - no matter how wonderful it may be.
So the book... Ana On The Edge is about a twelve year old ice-skater named Ana. The moment the book begins, we are immediately entered into Ana's happy place: the rink. Performing a routine that was practiced and perfected for weeks, we see Ana fall into the rhythm of the skating, losing all cares about anyone or anything in the world other than this moment right here that is Ana and the ice. Ana does not think about the judges watching, getting ready to grade each skater on how their moves look and decide their futures by how well they do. No, all Ana thinks about is the ice. That's Ana's heart, Ana's home.
As someone who doesn't know anything about figure skating at all (outside of, like, the videos AJ Sass himself posts on his official Instagram) I was very entranced from the beginning. I've read several books about several different types of "sports kids" (not to mention my own siblings' history in soccer) but I had never read anything from the perspective of a figure skater - kid or adult - until now.
There were a lot - and I do mean A LOT - of moments in the book where Sass would describe moves on the ice that I didn't understand. Words like twizzles and toe turns sort of passed through my brain as I didn't fully know what they looked like (and maybe I should have paused to look it up but I didn't want to; I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next), but nonetheless I was absolutely enamored by how much Ana clearly loved skating. Ana's love for skating made me think of my love for writing and how I can lose myself in a writer's buzz and feel like nothing else in the world matters during that moment.
So, as I said before: we begin with Ana on the ice, at the juvenile nationals no less. Then we continue from there, with Mom and Coach Alex talking to Ana about how things are going to be different this summer. Good different. Ana is going to go to a new rink, where there will be a professional choreographer hired to teach Ana a new routine for the upcoming year and, if all goes well over the summer, Ana could end up skipping sectionals and go straight to regionals (which would save Mom a lot of money).
It all sounds great. Until... The choreographer tells Ana to wear a skirt to their sessions. This is not something Ana wants to do, although the reason why is not really clear even in Ana's own mind. It only gets worse when Ana learns that the number is gonna be Sleeping Beauty themed - and Ana's going to have to wear a big sparkly blue dress.
Meanwhile, Ana manages to accidentally grab the wrong nametag one time (for Alex, the coach) and a new boy at the rink - Hayden - thinks that Ana is a boy too. Ana doesn't correct him, relishing in the fact that for once someone who sees Ana does not automatically think "girl".
But it's still not clear in Ana's own brain why the big sparkly blue dress, why being seen as a girl to the world, feels so wrong. Especially when being seen as a boy by Hayden doesn't feel entirely right either. While Ana is going through all of this mental turmoil and debate, Tamar (Ana's best friend since the two of them were little) is also feeling like Ana doesn't really care about her anymore.
Between all of these things, Ana's life at the new rink is anything but what was expected/planned.
I really loved this book a lot and when I reached the ending of it, I wanted to cry. I feel like every kid should read this book, regardless of if they can relate to Ana's specific gender journey or not. Even if they can't, I feel like all children can relate to the feeling of knowing something is wrong/off but not having the words for it, to miscommunications in friendships, and to the feeling of wanting to tell an adult something but not being sure that they'll understand/being worried that they'll tell you you don't know yourself (when you do, better than anyone else).
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment and Bullying
switchywitchsitch's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia, Outing, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
emmieclassix's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Transphobia and Abandonment
olliereadabook's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Outing, Transphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Deadnaming, Bullying, and Abandonment
Minor: Toxic friendship
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
The current US Juvenile figure skating champion, 12-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, is not a fan of flowery dresses. As a result, Ana quickly begins to distrust the program's princess-themed concept when she hears about it. Ana makes an effort to remain focused on her training and creating a fantastic routine deserving of national triumph.
Ana's ideas about the princess program and gender identity begin to take center stage until she meets Hayden, a transgender boy who is new to the rink. Additionally, Ana doesn't confront Hayden when he misinterprets her for a boy and instead takes solace in her boyish persona while he is there. Ana learns that it might be challenging to balance two distinct identities on one slick sheet of ice as their friendship grows. And when a significant tournament draws near, Ana must choose if jeopardizing years of effort and sacrifice by disclosing the truth is worth it.
I have spent a long time looking for a novel with a protagonist that struggles with dysphoria, and I must say that this one did not dissapoint. This book would be the epitome of comfort, if comfort were a genre. I'm so glad this was written by a non-binary author and not simply someone who has a fetish for the lgbtqia+ community. Unfortunately, my eyes were too weary from reading to finish in one sitting, but despite having to put this down, I couldn't quit thinking about Ana's predicament and what I would do if I were Ana.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, and Deadnaming
studiolindsay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this story, and I loved all of the characters. I'm also so glad this book exists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria
Moderate: Abandonment and Deadnaming
overbooked207's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
📖 Ana On The Edge by A.J. Sass Book Review 📖
10th book of January and 10th of the year:
I absolutely loved this queer sports book! The representation and the conversations/information about gender, exploring your own gender, pronouns and neopronouns, and more in it were amazing. I loved the characters, and it was a beautiful coming of age and coming into yourself story! I definitely recommend picking it up! TW for deadnaming, misgendering, dysphoria/social gender dysphoria, paternal abandonment/an absent father, financial worries, and transphobia📖🏳️⚧️⛸
10th book of January and 10th of the year:
I absolutely loved this queer sports book! The representation and the conversations/information about gender, exploring your own gender, pronouns and neopronouns, and more in it were amazing. I loved the characters, and it was a beautiful coming of age and coming into yourself story! I definitely recommend picking it up! TW for deadnaming, misgendering, dysphoria/social gender dysphoria, paternal abandonment/an absent father, financial worries, and transphobia📖🏳️⚧️⛸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, and Abandonment
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Oh my goodness I loved this adorable book so so much! Ana is working on figure skating, but the traditionally girlie routine, outfit, and music she is given don't fit her. She goes into a journey of self-discovery figuring out who she is and the nonbinary label that ends up working for her.
I really loved this journey. It was so real and emotional and even though it is a middle grade, I feel like it was very mature and dealt with Ana's problems in a very real way. I also really enjoyed the figure skating aspects of this book! I love Ana's friends, coach, mom! Also a gay figure skating coach and a trans friend! Love this one.
I really loved this journey. It was so real and emotional and even though it is a middle grade, I feel like it was very mature and dealt with Ana's problems in a very real way. I also really enjoyed the figure skating aspects of this book! I love Ana's friends, coach, mom! Also a gay figure skating coach and a trans friend! Love this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming and Abandonment
Minor: Sexism
kayladaila's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria
Moderate: Abandonment and Deadnaming
Minor: Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
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