Skating on Mars
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A heartwarming debut from author Caroline Huntoon about a young figure skater discovering who they are on and off the ice.
Life isn’t easy on twelve-year-old Mars. As if seventh grade isn’t hard enough, Mars is also grappling with the recent death of their father and a realization they never got to share with him: they’re nonbinary. But with their skates laced up and the ice under their feet, all of those struggles melt away. When Mars’ triple toe loop draws the attention of a high school hot shot, he dares them to skate as a boy so the two can compete head-to-head. Unable to back down from a challenge, Mars accepts. But as competition draws near, the struggles of life off the rink start to complicate their performance in the rink, and Mars begins to second guess if there’s a place for them on the ice at all.
Skating on Mars is a tender examination of grief and a hopeful middle grade tale of self-discovery.
"This timely, triumphant novel about figure skating, identity, loss, and love will move and entertain readers—and it might just inspire them to find their own ways to change the world. " —Laurie Morrison, author of Up for Air and Coming Up Short
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Michigan, 12-year-old Mars Hart loves figure skating, but ever since they realized they're nonbinary, they've felt like "there isn't really space for me" in a sport divided along binary gender lines. On top of that, they're mourning the death of their father, with whom they shared a love of skating, and things have been weird with their best friend Libby's older friends, who look down on Mars for being a year younger. When Libby's cocky pairs partner dares Mars to compete against him, they do, registering in the men's division. The ensuing drama—including misgendering and transphobic bullying—makes Mars question their future in the activity they love best. Debut author Huntoon crafts a memorable first-person voice in driven, vulnerable Mars, tracing their grief and gradual coming-out process, and the affirming support they receive, via musing interiority. Some plot elements, such as Mars's relationship with a crush, feel underdeveloped, but Mars's passion for figure skating is infectious, and their fight to stake out their own place in a system not built for them proves both gently affirming and joyful. The cast reads as largely white. Ages 8–12.
