The Comeback

December 1, 2020
Twelve-year-old figure skater Maxine Chen is determined to make it to the Olympics someday, but first she has to get through the North Atlantic Regionals intermediate ladies competition and sixth grade. Maxine doesn't feel like an average Mirror Lake Middle School student. Not only is she training on the early mornings before school and afternoons afterward, but she's also the only Chinese American face in a mostly White student body. With regionals just a few weeks away, things seems to be heating up everywhere she turns. Her best friend is drifting away, smitten with a boy who communicates with Maxine in microaggressions aimed at her race. So while she's worrying about her eyelids, her homework is starting to pile up, and worst of all, a new--extremely talented--skater has moved to town and is training at her rink. Shen has created a wonderfully grounded character who navigates both middle school and the world of elite athletic competition with an authentic voice--foibles, insecurities, and all. And deftly woven around edge-of-your seat competition scenes are more mundane but significant issues: everyday racism, sportsmanship, burnout among young athletes, the value of true friendships, and the unfaltering love and support of family. Bonus: That Maxine's figure-skating idols are all Asian (and that there are so many of them) reminds readers of how important representation is. On-ice excitement and a fierce-but-vulnerable protagonist make this a winner. (Fiction. 8-12)

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March 26, 2021
Twelve-year-old figure skater Maxine Chen knows that if she wants to make it to the Olympics, all she has to do is to make it to sectionals, and she will have a shot at a medal. She practices early in the morning and late after school, juggling schoolwork in between, but when Hollie moves to town, dread rises inside Maxine. Hollie isn't just good; she's incredible. To top it off, Maxine is growing apart from a lifelong friend and is being bullied by classmate Alex, who takes any opportunity to make racist comments about her. Just when she feels like she can't handle it anymore, she finds inspiration in competitor-turned-friend Hollie, some skater heroes, and her own parents, who pass on their pride in being Chinese. Through Maxine's point of view, readers will become enveloped in the world of skating, cheering her on in competition, in life, and in opposition to the infuriating Alex. They will also find Maxine's predicaments very familiar, as Maxine decides to keep the bullying to herself instead of confiding in her parents. Shen does an excellent job of depicting what racist bullying is like, how it can escalate, and the way it begins to take over every part of a victim's life. Fast-paced chapters filled with competition, friendship, and inspiration make this a worthy addition to any middle-grade collection.

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