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A review by lizaroo71
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
3.0
Twelve-year old Maisie has her mind on ballet. She has spent her entire life preparing to audition for one of the elite schools. But, Maisie has torn her ACL and this has put a stop to her plans. When we meet her, Maisie is still grappling with her physical therapy and tapping down her feelings of jealousy towards her friends from the world of ballet that are now auditioning for the schools she wants to attend.
Maisie's mother and step-father make an effort to be supportive, but Maisie keeps her emotions bottled up and they aren't sure how to get her to open up.
This book is very insular and quiet. We get Maisie's daily life for a few days that takes course over a winter vacation (the family visits the places where her mother grew up as a member of the Makah nation). I liked that it allows the reader to get in Maisie's mind, but when Maisie finally has a meltdown of her emotions, it skips to four months later rather than guiding the reader through the mess of what all of those emotions look like.
This is one of a few books from the inprint Heartdrum which focuses on writers from native nations. The book is infused with history and traditions of Maisie's family and I loved that also. Her mother is a member of the Makah Nation and her late father is a member of Piscataway nation). We get a lot of the history of the people and how it links to the generations that follow. There are many notes in the back regarding Day's reason for selecting these nations.
Interestingly, I love this book cover and it is one of the reasons I wanted to read the book. But, I think the book cover belies the serious content of the book. The young girl on the cover appears much younger than twelve years old. Maisie is a complex character. I don't want kids to pass this one up because they may feel it reads too young for them just based on the cover. Am I making any sense?
I would like to read Day's first book. She is a solid writer that can write the emotions of a tween with grade and that's not easy to do.
Maisie's mother and step-father make an effort to be supportive, but Maisie keeps her emotions bottled up and they aren't sure how to get her to open up.
This book is very insular and quiet. We get Maisie's daily life for a few days that takes course over a winter vacation (the family visits the places where her mother grew up as a member of the Makah nation). I liked that it allows the reader to get in Maisie's mind, but when Maisie finally has a meltdown of her emotions, it skips to four months later rather than guiding the reader through the mess of what all of those emotions look like.
This is one of a few books from the inprint Heartdrum which focuses on writers from native nations. The book is infused with history and traditions of Maisie's family and I loved that also. Her mother is a member of the Makah Nation and her late father is a member of Piscataway nation). We get a lot of the history of the people and how it links to the generations that follow. There are many notes in the back regarding Day's reason for selecting these nations.
Interestingly, I love this book cover and it is one of the reasons I wanted to read the book. But, I think the book cover belies the serious content of the book. The young girl on the cover appears much younger than twelve years old. Maisie is a complex character. I don't want kids to pass this one up because they may feel it reads too young for them just based on the cover. Am I making any sense?
I would like to read Day's first book. She is a solid writer that can write the emotions of a tween with grade and that's not easy to do.