Skating on Mars
$8.99 USD
paperback
A heartwarming middle grade debut 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 story of self-discovery.
Caroline Huntoon has always loved to tell stories, but it took a while for them to translate that love to writing books. After they graduated with a B.A. from Barnard College, Caroline spent three years making magic at the happiest place on earth, before moving to Michigan to become an English teacher and theater director. It wasn’t until they earned an M.A. from The Bread Loaf School of English that they finally started writing stories for young people. Now they live in Ypsilanti, Michigan with their child, Winifred. Caroline writes across genres, but their work often circles back to themes of loss, identity, friendship, and validating the messy and wonderful lives of young people
"Huntoon. . . writes beautifully with authority and insight, creating in Mars a fully realized, memorable character; this first novel is an important contribution to the slender body of nonbinary literature, which belongs in every library." —Booklist, starred review
"Mars’ identity is examined with nuance, given depth and consideration as life on and off the ice grows both more euphoric and increasingly complicated. . .a strong sports story and an earnest coming-of-age tale in one." —Kirkus Reviews
"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." —Publishers Weekly
“Caroline Huntoon’s Skating on Mars is a rallying cry that trans and nonbinary kids belong in sports; it is also a moving story about life’s transitions, big and small.” —A. J. Sass, author of Ana on the Edge and Ellen Outside the Lines
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