Sugar and Ice

by Kate Messner
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?

Recommended for grades 4-7
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Peak

by Roland Smith
I never thought I'd want to climb a mountain, but after reading this book, I have the urge to scale Everest (okay, maybe something a little smaller). Peak Marcello is 14 years old and he loves to climb mountains. Unfortunately, there are no mountains in Manhattan. When he is arrested for climbing the Woolworth Building, Peak faces years in juvenile detention. To avoid jail time, his divorced parents and the judge agree he should go to live with his mountain-climbing celebrity father. This is where the real adventure begins. Peak is swept off to Tibet, where he discovers he will be joining his dad's company as the youngest person to attempt to summit Mount Everest. His dad hands him off to the care of a Sherpa and his grandson Sung-ho for training and altitude acclimation. The boys alternate between friendship and competition. As Peak and his companions move from Base Camp, up and down the mountain, I felt as if I was climbing the mountain with them. The characters are all well formed, and the details have been well researched. This is a gritty, exciting, and realistic look at the world of extreme mountain climbing. It is also a story about family, and friendship. Will Peak and Sung-ho make it to the summit? Will either boy achieve his secret goal? While this can be characterized as a "boys" book about an extreme sport, I felt a connection to the characters, and felt like I was up on the mountain with them. This is one of the best sports/adventure books I've read in a long time.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Alexa Newman

Hothead

by Cal Ripkin Jr.
Twelve-year-old Connor Sullivan loves baseball. He is an all-star shortstop for his little league team, the Baltimore Orioles. His athletic ability has caught the attention of all of the coaches, as well as his teammates. He is also very popular with his middle-school classmates. Although seeming to have it all, Connor is keeping a secret that he won't even share with his best friend. There is trouble at home. His father has been out of work for months, and his mother is struggling to keep the family afloat, working extra hours at the hospital. This is happening at the same time he is invited to a prestigious baseball camp that Connor had counted on attending. However, due to chronic money problems, his hopes of being able to go are dashed. Then there is the conversation he overhears between his parents. Despite his father's best efforts, he has still been unable to land a job. His family is now in danger of losing their home. As the pressure begins to mount on the inside of Connor, his temper begins to boil over on the outside. Minor incidents on the baseball field are throwing Connor in fits of rage. He becomes furious with himself when he makes a simple error or strikes out, and to his teammates' astonishment, he begins to lash out angrily at them when they are less than perfect, as well. He has become a real hothead and no one understands why. He soon earns the nickname "Psycho Sully" among the league, and his sincere attempts at controlling his temper are frustrated when he learns a classmate of his, who works on the school newspaper, has videotaped his latest tirade and is planning to publish a story on his antics; she mistakenly believes that Connor's actions are the cause of being overly competitive. Will Connor decide to reveal what is really bothering him, and get some support before his on-field behavior gets him suspended for the championship game? Ripken writes a fast-paced novel for those who love baseball, as well as those who feel the burden of problems at home. Fans of the sports stories of Dan Gutman and Matt Christopher will have trouble putting this book down.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies

by Mick Cochrane
A few short months. That's how long it's been since Molly's father died in the car accident. Molly and her mom don't talk about it. In fact, Molly knows all that her mom wants to hear is that everything is fine - 8th grade is fine, Molly's friends are fine, Molly is fine. Molly's mom doesn't want to know that Molly is tired of being known as Miss Difficulty Overcome - identified only by surviving her father's death. Molly's mom certainly doesn't want to know that Molly's not going to be on the softball team this year. It's not softball, it's baseball that Molly and her dad connected over - practicing the butterfly pitch, a perfect knuckleball, over and over again in their backyard, spending hours watching games and discussing stats. So, almost without realizing it, it's baseball that Molly decides to try out for, not softball. Of course, there's no girl's baseball team and before Molly knows it, it's sure not her father's death that's being talked about. After all, whoever heard of a girl pitching for a boys' baseball team?

Last Shot

by John Feinstein
Stevie cannot believe it at first: the basketball article he submitted has won a student journalism contest and even though he's only in 8th grade, he'll be covering the Final Four in New Orleans! Sure, his co-winner, 8th-grader Susan Carol is a foot taller than him and a Duke fan (a team Stevie's definitely not a fan of), but Stevie's getting to meet all his sports writing and basketball heroes. He's having the time of his life, until he and Susan Carol overhear someone blackmailing Chip Graber, the best basketball player in the tournament, to throw the final game. The student journalists try to warn the adults, but of course no one believes them - so it's up to Stevie and Susan Carol to find out what the blackmailer has on Chip and how to keep the Final Four tournament clean. Investigative journalism wasn't what they originally came for, but these students aren't leaving until they blow this story wide open - the only question is, will they survive the explosion?

Recommended for grades 5-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker