Being Sloane Jacobs

December 2, 2013
Morrill (Meant To Be) delivers a twist on the identity-swap that's both cozily familiar and fresh. Enter the two Sloane Jacobs: one is a pampered D.C. socialite who's faltering in the high-stakes world of ice skating; the other is a Philadelphia native whose hockey moves need sharpening and temper needs taming. When both Sloanes (who conveniently resemble one another) accidentally meet in Canada after being shipped off to summer camps to hone their respective skills, they hatch a plan to switch places, thus relieving them from the pressures dogging them at home. Their new environments present no shortage of challenges, but the Sloanes tackle them with doggedness and humility; believably detestable antagonists at each camp raise the stakes for both teens. Morrill includes some lighthearted romantic intrigue, but doesn't allow it to overshadow the girls' struggle to figure out who they are and what they want. The endingâsweetly uplifting and just a touch sappyâoffers a pleasing resolution to a relatable coming-of-age story. A Paper Lantern Lit property. Ages 12âup. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media.

November 15, 2013
An on-ice case of traded identities. When Sloane Emily Jacobs, the competitive figure skater from Washington, D.C., literally bumps into Sloane Devon Jacobs, the hockey jock from Philadelphia, the teens see it as more than a freaky coincidence; it's an opportunity. The chance meeting happens in a Montreal hotel lobby the evening before each teen is to report to an intensive sports camp for her own discipline. However, both girls are dreading their camps, which prompts Sloane Emily to suggest an identity swap. Hilarity ensues as Sloane Emily foregoes leotards and spins for body checking and slap shots, and Sloane Devon adopts toe picks and tights, leaving her sweatpants and swagger behind. Chapters alternate between Sloane Emily's and Sloane Devon's perspectives, giving each teen her own voice, personality and the space to unpack her heavy baggage from home, which includes family scandal, parental substance abuse and anger management issues. Although it feels far-fetched in some sections and certain small details of the identity switch don't quite line up, the two strong teens carry the text, providing an enjoyable, on-ice adventure. A thoughtful reminder that it is difficult to walk a mile in someone else's shoes--or in this case, skates. (Fiction. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Sloane Emily Jacobs is an Olympics-bound figure skater, but a fall shakes her self-confidence and the faith her wealthy, political parents have in her. The teen heads to an elite training camp to try to redeem herself and get away from her father-whom she recently discovered is having an affair. Sloane Devon Jacobs is a hockey player whose athletic career is put in jeopardy when her anger issues start to affect her performance on the ice. The girl's mother has recently been admitted to a rehab facility and her father isn't thriving at the single-dad thing. Her hockey coach orders her to attend a hockey camp to work through her temper problems. On their way to their different destinations, the two Sloane Jacobs meet because of a luggage mix-up at a Montreal hotel. Frustrated and disgruntled with their respective sports, they decide to switch places and try out each other's life. As with most "switching places" stories, the protagonists learn a lot about themselves as they live in someone else's skates. Woven through the story are threads about family, friendship, identity, and romance. Their ruse is discovered and the Sloanes are forced to switch back. While not the most original plot-and certainly one filled with unlikely coincidences-this coming-of-age novel is fairly well written and sports good character development, especially in the talented doppelgangers.-Liz Zylstra, County of Prince Edward Public Library, Picton, Ontario

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades 7-12 With the gravity that adolescence bears down, what a glorious and uplifting relief it would be to be someone else, if only for a summer. How lucky, then, for Sloane Emily Jacobs, elite figure skater and daughter of a senator, and Sloane Devon Jacobs, scholarship-bound hockey player with a mother in rehab, when they literally bump into each other on the eve of registration for their summer skating camps in Montreal.Their summer escapades are told in alternating first-person chapters complete with family dramas and budding romances. Rather than skating on the surface of a time-honored plot twist, Morrill portrays each Sloane with the grit to cross-train in a new skating sport, the perseverance to withstand the competitors' bullying and high jinks, the honesty to be true to new friends or at least struggle in the challenge, and the grace to respect each other's futures. As the Sloanes' Prince and the Pauper/Parent Trap switcheroo unravels, they come together with friends and families for a sweet and satisfying resolution.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)