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I liked this book for three reasons. The first reason I like the book is because the characters are believable. I can easily see the main character as a real girl in the world. Like many girls and boys, the main character wishes to be the best at what she does, which in this case is ice-skating. At one point in the story, Annie asks the main character if she needs help after the girl tried to get up on her ice skates the first time. However, the girl refuses help because she wants to be the best at ice-skating. I have seen many kids, including myself, turn down assistance because they want to be able to do the action on their own.
I also liked the author’s employment of an antagonist in order to enhance the meaning of the story and further highlight the main character’s ideals. Beth, another girl learning to ice skate, views ice-skating as a fun activity rather than something she must be the best at. By employing Beth in the story, the author is able to show the reader another perspective. For instance, after the main character refuses to receive assistance from the teacher, Beth asks Annie for help. In addition, when Annie tells the kids that they will be preforming in the show by skating in a line and holding hands, Beth states, “’That sounds like fun!’” However, the main character then quickly responds by stating, “’We are not here to have fun.’” Therefore, Beth is employed by the author to show the reader a different view of ice-skating that is the opposite of the main character’s view. In addition, this difference helps demonstrate to the reader how asking for assistance and enjoying the activity can be a valid option in contrast to the main character’s ideals.
Furthermore, I liked how the author employed the first person point of view in order to give insight into the main character’s feelings and emotions. By having the text be in first person the reader is able to delve into the text and get insight to what the main character is thinking. For instance, at the resolution of the story the reader is able to see a change in the main character’s view of ice-skating by reading her thoughts. The main character thinks, “I am not the best, I think. But this is a lot more fun!” Without the employment of the first person point of view, the reader would not have gained this key insight into the mind of the main character. Therefore, by employing the first person point of view, the reader received important information into the story.
Overall, the main message of the story is that one does not need to focus on always being the best at a certain activity. In contrast, one can simply enjoy the activity and have fun participating. By having fun, one does not need to worry about outdoing anyone. Instead, one can focus on oneself and work on what one can do. Therefore, the big idea demonstrated by the author was to focus on enjoying the activity over outdoing others. ( )

This level 2 reader is intended for kindergarten to Grade 2 readers learning to read alone. Simple text and pictures. Interesting and encouraging for children taking their first ice skating lessons. ( )

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