This is light reading. The conflict presented is also interesting and revolves around the world of ice skating. There are some scenes that piss you off because they remind you of your teenage years (if you read them like I was growing up. Haha) and about friendship.

I like Claire's character who was previously like a naive girl and couldn't voice what she wanted, her character has grown to be more courageous and can determine what her dreams are. She finally learned something from the competitions. Claire found what she wanted after going through a process that made her anxious and frustrated. It was precisely because of that process that she found the answer she had been looking for all along.

This book is interesting to read in winter with a glass of milk tea that accompanies you. ( )

What a wonderful book! I have to admit to a slight bias because my 10-year-old is an avid ice skater. But even if I knew nothing about the world of skating, I would enjoy this story of friendship and family and making choices. The ice skaters in your world will find much to appreciate here from a technical standpoint, but it's the storyline and the characters that really make the book shine. The relationships and dialogue ring true, as do the "mean girl" issues, and the Fibonacci strand is an added bonus. Kate Messner has nailed it with this one, and I think Claire is going to capture lots of hearts when the book comes out in December! ( )

Booktalk: All most people can think of in Mojimuk Falls is how to escape, but Claire loves her small, rural, New York town . She loves her family’s maple sugar farm, she loves her best friend Natalie, she loves doing math league at school, but most of all she loves ice skating. Whether it’s skating club with Natalie, junior coaching, or just skating on the cow pond, Claire feels at home and free when she’s on the ice. What Claire doesn’t love is competitions. Even though she’s the best skater in Mojimuk Falls, the one time Claire tried to compete, she was too scared to even get on the ice. Luckily the town’s big Maple Show isn’t a competition, it’s just an ice skating exhibition, so Claire’s thrilled to be doing the Maple Princess Solo.
After a perfect solo, Claire is surprised to be approached by Andrei Groshev, a former Olympic skater, with the offer of a Silver Blades Scholarship – the chance to train at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid for free. It’s a huge opportunity – this is training on a national level with a world-class coach – but Claire is sure her parents won’t have to time for the long commute while managing the busy farm. To Claire’s surprise her parents make some sacrifices and before she knows it, she’s training with Coach Groshev in Lake Placid.
Only, it’s not like skating at home. Claire’s talented, but the other girls in the program are super competitive and some are downright mean. There are always extra practices which mean no time to see Natalie, no time for math league, no time for junior coaching. Competitive ice skating becomes Claire’s entire life. With her parents determined to do whatever it takes to make Claire’s skating dreams come true, a best friend who’s not talking to her, and a coach who’s constantly pushing her harder, Claire feels pulled in all directions. As the pressure mounts it becomes clear though that only Claire can decide: What life will she choose? Skating star or normal girl?

I really liked learning about skating and beekeeping and the relationships rang true. The little bit of mystery that surrounds the mean girl bullying worked, too. This is a solid choice for late elementary and middle school girls. ( )

[Digging through the archives...]

I write this on a cold evening in March when my internet has mysteriously died again, sigh, and I am on a review splurge. So.

Claire Boucher loves to ice skate. She skates on the pond by her family’s maple farm, she teaches smaller children in their skating club, and she’s been working for months on a solo routine for the Maple Show with her warm and beloved coach. She loves their maple farm, her best friend Natalie who is a keeps bees, and math. Then Groshev, a famous skating coach, shows up at the Maple Show and offers her a scholarship to train at Lake Placid. Claire isn’t sure how she feels about this. Her older cousin, Charlotte, is in training to be a professional skater and she knows it’s hard. She’s not sure she wants to give up so much. But everyone thinks it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, everyone is making sacrifices so she can go, so…she does.

She finds out it’s harder – and more painful - than she had expected. She barely has time for her schoolwork, let alone her friends and her family. Groshev isn’t warm and understanding like her old coach, and the competition is fierce. Worst of all, some of the other girls will do anything to discourage her, from mean whispers to vandalism. Is it worth it? Does Claire really want to be a professional ice skater? If she does, does she have what it takes?

Messner does an excellent job not only portraying the competition, ambition, and squabbles in an extremely competitive sport but also the real characters of the people involved. She doesn’t sugarcoat the emotional and physical hardships that accompany this competitive sport, but she also writes enthusiastically and beautifully about the people who enjoy it and the beauty of figure skating. Claire is a wonderful character, realistically excited and nervous about trying something new and difficult, confused and hurt as she tries to fit into another world, and finally triumphant as she stands up for herself and makes her own decisions. There is a little bit of innocent romance as she makes friends with a boy in her skating group, but the main focus of the story is on Claire and her trials and triumphs.

Verdict: Highly recommended. I think it’s mainly going to appeal to girls, since so much of the story is focused on Claire and her female friends and enemies, but it will definitely appeal to any middle grade or young teen girl who likes realistic stories, whether or not she’s into skating or other sports. I would really like to buy this one but I don’t think I can fit it into my budget; I’ve already bought a lot of “girl” realistic fiction this year. However, I will crunch a few more numbers and we’ll see…

[Revisited: This title is still in print and still popular in my library. I don't know that I've ever gotten any boys to read it, but girls like the mild romance and the ice skating aspect. The cover hasn't dated much and it's available in both hardcover, paperback, and prebound]

ISBN: 9780802720818; Published December 7, 2010 by Walker Childrens; Borrowed from another library; Purchased for the library

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Claire has so much going on with her skating, coaching young skaters, school work, working on her family's farm, and hanging out with her friends. One day, all that changes when a famous Russian coach sees her skate at the annual Maple Show. She lands a double toe loop, impressing him greatly.

He offers her a scholarship to skate at the school in Lake Placid for the summer. Claire can't believe it. She almost doesn't take the scholarship. The drive is long, and the maple sap is just starting to run, making it the busiest time of year on the farm. She's afraid she'll miss out on all of the summer fun. Plus, she's terrified of competing.

But Claire can't let fear dominate her life.

The camp isn't what she expected. Claire loves skating. She loves the feel of the ice, and she loves the way the music makes her move. But she's not expecting the crazy intense schedule. She's not expecting sabotage from her teammates. And she's not expecting all the pressure from her coach.

Can she overcome all the odds and prove herself to everyone?

An entertaining, in-depth look at the skating world - where mean girls, intense schedules, and self-doubt fill the locker room. I enjoyed watching Claire's transformation, her fight for her own place, and her struggle to find herself. The skating scenes transported me to the ice, right next to Claire. ( )