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.
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.
If all middle grade were written as well as this, I think I just might read middle grade forever. Kate Messners second novel is just as fun, heartfelt, and engrossing as her first. It sent me in ecstacies of delight over how much I loved it!
I dont know much about either collecting sap or ice-skating, but SUGAR AND ICE made me wish I were Claire. She is a delightful protagonist, full of love for her friends, family, and passion, but also young enough to experience the vulnerabilities of dealing with new situations. Her love for ice-skating is so inspiringKate Messner describes the skating scenes beautifullythat when she is knocked down by the cutthroat attitude of the ice-skating world, it breaks your heart. I constantly wanted to reach into the book and help Claire out a little: no, dont listen to that girl, shes just jealous of you! Skate for yourself and forget about how others might be judging you!
Supporting characters are colorful and varied. In particular, Tasanee, Claires good training friend, is Asian, and likes to read popular paranormal YA. I dare you to go into this book and try to figure out which books she reads. So the friends are well-developed, but the mean girls, to my delight, are, too. Theres a reason why people turn out mean, and in SUGAR AND ICE we see the different ways that meanness can exert itself, and what drives the girls to desperate measures.
Overall, SUGAR AND ICE is just so wonderfully heartwarming and real. It will remind you of the best and worst of middle-grade girls without the pettiness that sometimes crops up in this age group. Readers of all ages will fall in love with Claire and Kate Messners writing!
I dont know much about either collecting sap or ice-skating, but SUGAR AND ICE made me wish I were Claire. She is a delightful protagonist, full of love for her friends, family, and passion, but also young enough to experience the vulnerabilities of dealing with new situations. Her love for ice-skating is so inspiringKate Messner describes the skating scenes beautifullythat when she is knocked down by the cutthroat attitude of the ice-skating world, it breaks your heart. I constantly wanted to reach into the book and help Claire out a little: no, dont listen to that girl, shes just jealous of you! Skate for yourself and forget about how others might be judging you!
Supporting characters are colorful and varied. In particular, Tasanee, Claires good training friend, is Asian, and likes to read popular paranormal YA. I dare you to go into this book and try to figure out which books she reads. So the friends are well-developed, but the mean girls, to my delight, are, too. Theres a reason why people turn out mean, and in SUGAR AND ICE we see the different ways that meanness can exert itself, and what drives the girls to desperate measures.
Overall, SUGAR AND ICE is just so wonderfully heartwarming and real. It will remind you of the best and worst of middle-grade girls without the pettiness that sometimes crops up in this age group. Readers of all ages will fall in love with Claire and Kate Messners writing!
