A heartfelt #OwnVoices middle-grade debut about a young girl trying to be a champ—on the ice and in her life.
Twelve-year-old Maxine Chen is just trying to nail that perfect landing: on the ice, in middle school, and at home, where her parents worry that competitive skating is too much pressure for a budding tween. Maxine isn’t concerned, however—she’s determined to glide to victory. That is, until she finds herself in competition with Hollie, a gifted new skater, and at school is getting teased by a bully for her Chinese heritage. With her world akilter, will Maxine crash under the pressure? Or can she make a comeback? Set in Lake Placid, New York, this is a spunky yet stirring story that examines racism, female rivalry and friendship, and the enduring and universal necessity of love and support.Author’s note.
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On the ice, twelve-year-old Chinese American girl Maxine Chen is a fearless figure skater in pursuit of an Olympic dream. Off the ice, she grapples with fitting in at school and balancing her classwork with her athletic training. What’s more, a bully subjects Maxine to bias-based harassment by using a racial slur, mocking her eyes, and promoting stereotypes of Asians as hyper-intelligent and perpetual foreigners. Maxine’s self-esteem wavers even more when an old friendship fades and a new skilled skater emerges, leaving Maxine feeling isolated and eclipsed mere weeks before a crucial competition. Shen depicts a determined, spirited tween working toward overcoming insecurities and finding her voice. Asian American figure-skating heroes (e.g., Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nathan Chen) provide Maxine stories of belonging, countering her “othered” experience as a minority in her majority white hometown. When a fellow skater shows her techniques gleaned from Asian makeup experts on YouTube, Maxine learns to see her once-mocked eyes anew: “My eyes, my eyes, the lids I hate so much, their shriveled curves, the ugly slits. Now they are almost pretty.” Set in the dazzling world of competitive figure skating, this is a heartwarming story of perseverance and self-acceptance. KRISTINE TECHAVANICH