  | Keeping pace Author: Morrison, Laurie | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
Determined to regain her sense of accomplishment after losing her top-class ranking to Jonah, Grace decides to compete against him in a Labor Day half-marathon, but as they train together, she learns valuable lessons about what truly matters.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.70 Points: 10.0 Quiz: 551329 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (03/01/24)
Booklist (02/15/24)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/03/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/15/2024 Academic achievement has been one of the few constants in Grace Eller’s life, and this last year of middle school wasn’t supposed to be any different. When the year-end “top student” designation goes to her sworn enemy, Jonah, she’s crushed. Sure, only a fraction of a point separates their scores, but after years of supposedly being the best, it pains her to come in second. It doesn’t help that both of her parents are professors, either. As a budding writer herself, Grace places considerable value on her novelist father’s seemingly glamorous pursuits. Astute readers will be able to see this as a bid for connection—her parents are divorced, and Grace and her sister live with their mom. The novel provides much-needed space to reflect on these dynamics, but the story is less about Grace figuring out her relationship with her dad than it is about figuring out her relationship with herself. However, it’s through running that she gradually acknowledges her intrinsic self-worth, recognizing that it’s OK to just be. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
