E. L. Shen

There’s certainly enough to work with here that this could have been expanded into separate books covering each friend’s summer, I wouldn’t have been mad about that as I enjoyed my time with these girls, but over the last few years I’ve encountered more than a few series and books that feel overlong so I do appreciate an author who can tell a concise yet still satisfying story as E.L. Shen managed here for all three of her main characters.

I wanted a little more interaction between Jia and her grandmother, but I thought the weight on Jia’s shoulders was well conveyed, her romance albeit brief was cute, and I liked her arc, particularly the scene she shared with an older member of her community that nudged her into seeing things differently.

Everett’s chapters were probably the timeliest, addressing racism in both casting and the production of a musical during what was supposed to be her dream summer at theater camp. Everett’s confidence is aspirational throughout, and she has an applause worthy moment when she reaches her breaking point over the ignorance surrounding her.

Bea’s story is the one I probably would have most liked to see play out in a novel all its own, with the travel aspect, with investigating her sister’s death and the very serious baggage that entailed, a longer format would have made room to explore the setting a bit more and to dig even deeper into the emotion, but honestly this didn’t lose much by being slightly truncated, I loved the direction Bea and her sister’s story went in, it got me a little teary at a certain point, and I do like a book that can get me teary.… (more)

Asian-Americans have long been a part of figure skating, especially women, but 12-year old Maxine Chen seems to be the only Asian in Lake Placid, NY, where her family has relocated to get her the best possible coaching/training. However, it is not easy for her, with a demanding schedule, strict coaches and high parental expectations, in the face of regional and sectional competitions. Maxine is also being subject to racist bullying by a boy in school, who has hijacked her longtime friend. E.L. Chen has written a thoughtful book about dealing with these pressures, and then along comes Hollie another (better) skater, who turns out to be as lonely as Maxine and they form a bond. Good story, good characters, and kudos to the illustrator for the wonderful skating images at the beginning of every chapter. My only complaint was insufficient explanations about the various figure skating moves, which should have been included in an appendix.… (more)