Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mudder17 's review for:
The Comeback
by E.L. Shen
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.