The Sky between You and Me
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
An emotional and heart wrenching novel about grief and striving for perfection.
Lighter. Leaner. Faster.
Raesha will to do whatever it takes to win Nationals. For her, competing isn’t just about the speed of her horse or the thrill of the win. It’s about honoring her mother’s memory and holding onto a dream they once shared.
Lighter. Leaner. Faster.
For an athlete, every second counts. Raesha knows minus five on the scale will let her sit deeper in her saddle, make her horse lighter on his feet. And lighter, leaner, faster gives her the edge she needs over the new girl on the team, a girl who keeps flirting with Raesha’s boyfriend and making plans with her best friend.
So she focuses on minus five. But if she isn’t careful, she’s going to lose more than just the people she loves, she’s going to lose herself to lighter, leaner, faster…
“Sit quietly with this book. Feel the wind, the dusty air. Taste the sorrow and the wonder. Listen to the heart that is beating on every page. Then be grateful that Catherine Alene gave us this stunning story. It’s a thing of beauty.” —Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor and National Book Award Finalist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A competitive barrel racer, Raesha knows that a single pound can translate into seconds lost or gained. Determined to win Nationals, like her mother did before dying from cancer, Rae fixates on her weight, sure that losing five pounds will make all the difference. The arrival of Kierra a new rider who throws a wrench in Rae's relationships with her boyfriend, Cody, and best friend, Asia leaves Rae feeling alone, jealous, and frenzied. As her eating disorder develops, Rae becomes less strong and less focused, yet those elusive five pounds remains just out of reach, no matter what the scale says: "Lighter/ Leaner/ Faster, My goal/ Is always/ There." Writing in free verse, debut author Alene vividly conveys Rae's spiral into anorexia; as she weakens, the poems fragment and become less fluid, mirroring Rae's physical deterioration. Alene's characterization of secondary characters, particularly Rae's friends, is less successful; Cody's shallow comments about Rae's looks are particularly damaging, but this issue is never acknowledged. Even so, Alene presents an illuminating account of a girl struggling for control of her life and body. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
too good!
this book was so good. i wish more books were written like this. defiantly a must read!! this book will be on my shelves throughout my whole life.